Serum uric acid levels and its association with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).
To investigate the possible association between serum uric acid levels, serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). A total 232 patients of the eye department at Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia were recruited over 9 weeks. Participants were divided into ARMD (Non-Neovascular ARMD, and Neovascular ARMD) and control groups. 107 participants with non-neovascular ARMD, 6 with neovascular ARMD, and 119 controls participated in the study. The control patients had a similar average Serum Uric Acid level to the average of all patients with ARMD (P = 0.617).


METHODS
mean 299.19 micromol/l +/- std dev. 89.847 micromol/l. ARMD group: mean 302.53 micromol/l +/- std dev. 80.794 micromol/l. The average serum uric acid levels were higher in patients with neovascular ARMD (median = 397 mean +/- std dev = 389.67 +/- 38 micromol/l) than in the non-neovascular ARMD group (288.5 micromol/l, 297.86 +/- 80.26 micromol/l), and control group (295.5 micromol/l, 299.19 +/- 89.95 micromol/l). Comparing the standardised serum uric acid levels in the control group (Median = 0.5) against the two ARMD groups separately, there was no significant difference to the non-neovascular group (P = 0.448) but there was a difference significant to the neovascular ARMD group (P = 0.044). The neovascular and non-neovascular ARMD groups had median CRP value of 0.25 mg/l and were not significantly different. There is no association between serum uric acid levels and ARMD as a whole. There is potentially an association between serum uric acid and neovascular ARMD, an association needs to be established further. There is no association between serum CRP and ARMD.
Department of Medicine, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK. siddarth.subramani@nhs.net
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Subramani
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Khor
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Livingstone
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Kulkarni
D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*
D014527:Uric Acid; D002097:C-Reactive Protein