Higher serum uric acid (UA) levels in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are associated with an increased risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) and other adverse outcomes, according to data presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2021.
In a study of 834 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, investigators found that patients in the highest quartile of serum UA (8.9-21.5 mg/dL) had the highest proportion of patients experiencing AKI (95.1% vs 30.9%), major adverse kidney events (MAKE, 80% vs 16.7%), and in-hospital mortality (46.8% vs 23.0%) compared with those in the bottom quartile (1.5-4.4 mg/dL). Investigators defined MAKE as a composite of the need for dialysis, all-cause in-hospital mortality, or 100% increase in serum creatinine from baseline.
After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and laboratory values, a doubling of serum UA was significantly associated with 2.8-, 2.5-, and 1.7-fold increased odds for AKI, MAKE, and in-hospital mortality, Kinsuk Chauhan, MD, MPH, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, New York, and colleagues reported in a poster presentation. Hyperuricemia was significantly associated with higher levels of procalcitonin, a proinflammatory marker, and troponin 1, a marker of cardiac injury.
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The study population had a median age of 66 years. Of the 834 patients, 347 (42%) were women. At hospital admission, patients had a median serum UA level of 5.9 mg/dL, and 316 patients (37.9%) had hyperuricemia.
Reference
Chauhan K, Pattharanitima P, Piani F, et al. Prevalence and outcomes associated with hyperuricemia in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Presented at: Kidney Week 2021, November 2-7, 2021. Abstract PO0073.
