Are Uric Acid Levels Different from Healthy Subjects in Bipolar Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia?: Relationship Between Clinical Improvement and Episode Severity in Male Patients

Introduction: Purinergic system dysfunction has been shown both in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and those with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether uric acid levels in male BD patients with manic episode and schizophrenia patients with psychotic relapse differ from healthy male subjects. Secondly to assess whether uric acid levels in both patient groups correlate with episode severity and if a decrease in uric acid levels correlate with clinical improvement. Method: A total of 55 BD patients with manic episode and 59 schizophrenic patients with psychotic relapse were evaluated at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 3 using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and their plasma uric acid levels were measured. 60 age-matched healthy males without history of any previous or current psychiatric diagnosis and treatment constituted the control group. In order to determine plasma uric acid levels, blood samples were centrifuged at 3000 x g for 15 minutes, stored at -80 degrees C and measured in milligrams per deciliter. Results: Uric acid levels in both patient groups with manic episode and psychotic relapse were found higher than in healthy controls (f=6.122, p=0.027). The difference between repeated measurements of uric acid levels in BD patient group was found to be between baseline and first week measurements (after Bonferroni correction) (p<0.001). No correlation was found between YMRS and PANSS scores and uric acid levels at 4 assessment times. Conclusion: Uric acid levels in male BD and schizophrenia patients with manic episode and psychotic relapse were similar with each other, and higher than in healthy males. No correlation was found between uric acid levels and episode severity in both groups. However, for patients with BD, a decrease in uric acid levels between baseline and first week seems to be correlated with clinical improvement.