Elevated serum urate concentration independently predicts poor outcome following stroke in patients with diabetes.
BACKGROUND
Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for stroke and confers increased risk of poor outcome and further vascular events following stroke. Hyperuricaemia occurs commonly in patients with type 2 diabetes, but its significance as a predictor of outcome following stroke is uncertain. We sought to investigate the prognostic significance of elevated serum urate concentration in diabetic subjects following stroke.


METHODS
We studied a cohort of type 2 diabetes patients presenting to our unit with computed tomography-confirmed acute stroke. Fasting blood samples were drawn within 24 h of admission for urate concentration and standard battery of biochemistry and hematological tests. Information on age, stroke type, prior hypertension, smoking status, resolution time of symptoms and National Institutes of Health Stroke Score was collated. The main outcome event was time to myocardial infarction, recurrent stroke or vascular death, as defined in the CAPRIE trial. Stepwise proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the effect of the above variables on event-free survival following stroke.


RESULTS
One hundred and forty patients were studied. Median follow-up duration was 974 days (IQR 163 to 1830 days). Sixty-four patients suffered an outcome event. Urate levels of greater than 0.42 mmol/L (p < 0.001) and an increasing NIHSS score (p < 0.001) independently predicted increased likelihood of suffering an event.


CONCLUSIONS
Elevated urate concentration is significantly and independently associated with increased risk of future vascular events in diabetic stroke patients. Further studies to elucidate the mechanism of this observation are required.
Newman
Edward J
EJ
Acute Stroke Unit, University Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, Gardiner Institute, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
Rahman
Fariel S
FS
Lees
Kennedy R
KR
Weir
Christopher J
CJ
Walters
Matthew R
MR
D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*
D014527:Uric Acid