The Prognostic Value of Serum Uric Acid Level in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Introduction and Objective: Uric acid is a natural anti-oxidant that plays a role in acute oxidative stress reactions like acute ischemic stroke. In this study, we aimed to search the relation between serum uric acid level, length of hospital stay and severity of stroke in acute stroke patients, and consequently, the prognostic value of serum uric acid level. Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 100 patients who had presented to the emergency department with the findings of acute ischemic stroke. All the laboratory, radiological and clinical investigations were recorded. All the risk factors, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), laboratory values, clinical findings, length of hospital stay of the patients and the treatment modalities were recorded. Results: The median serum uric acid level was 5.25 +/- 2.03 mg/dl. The median level in females was found to be higher than that in males. The length of hospital stay varied from 2 to 57 days and the median value was 13 +/- 8.66 days. In the multivariate analysis, increases in the levels of serum uric acid measured were significantly associated with decreased length of hospital stay. We detected a low value correlation between NIHSS and serum uric acid levels, but it was statistically insignificant. According to our results, there was a strong negative correlation between serum uric acid levels and the length of hospital stay, and a weak correlation between the serum uric acid level and the severity of stroke.