Relationship between Uric Acid and Ascorbic Acid in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

It has been well accepted that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although some studies suggest that uric acid as an important factor in precipitation of disease process by inducing inflammation, there is no satisfactory explanation for its role in disease complexity. Uric acid also acts as an antioxidant in vivo. The objective of present study was to determine the level of serum urate and plasma ascorbate in RA patients and to determine their role in disease process. Serum uric acid and plasma ascorbic acid levels were estimated by using standard methods in 30 patients of RA and in 30 age matched healthy volunteers, served as control. The values were expressed as Mean ± SD and data from patients and controls were compared using students‘t’ test. Serum urate levels were significantly high (p<0.05) and plasma ascorbate levels were significantly low in patients as compared to control. These finding suggest that elevated serum urate level is associated with enhanced protective mechanism against oxidative stress and decreased ascorbate level is due to its free radical scavenging and urate radical repairing action in RA. Therefore, serum uric acid and ascorbic acid are efficient marker of oxidative stress status in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In addition, ascorbate supplementation in drug/diet regime in these patients can prove to be protective.