The Correlation between Uric Acid Levels and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Introduction Uric acid (UA) may act as an antioxidant in ALS pathophysiology. This study examined whether serum UA concentration correlates to clinical course in the ALS patients. Methods We measured serum UA levels in 51 sporadic ALS patients, and compared them to 51 age-and-gender-matched healthy subjects. We analyzed the correlation between serum UA levels, illness duration , and disease “course factors” (defined as “disease duration” over “terminal time”) in the ALS patients. Results The mean serum UA levels in the ALS groups were higher than the control groups in both genders. Serum UA levels were inversely correlated with the disease “course factors” in the ALS male patients. Discussion The elevation of serum UA concentration in ALS patients may be related to oxidative stress. The reasons that serum UA levels inversely correlated with ALS “course factors” include: muscle wasting, poor nutrition, reduced antioxidant reserve, or increased UA consumption in end-stage patients.