title: The relationship between serum levels of uric acid and prognosis of infection in critically ill patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serum uric acid level is associated with some chronic diseases and prognosis of severe infection. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and prognosis of infection in critically ill patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data from 471 patients with infection admitted from January 2003 to April 2010 were analyzed retrospectively at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China. The data of SUA, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and other relevant examinations within 24 hours after admission were recorded and the levels of SUA in those patients were described, then Student's t test was used to evaluate the relationship between SUA and pre-existing disorders. Different levels of SUA were graded for further analysis. The Chi-square test was used to examine the difference in the prognosis of infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean initial level of SUA within 24 hours after admission was 0.232±0.131 mmol/L and the median was 0.199 mmol/L. Remarkable variations in the initial levels of SUA were observed in patients with pre-existing hypertension (t=-3.084, P=0.002), diabetes mellitus (t=-2.487, P=0.013), cerebral infarction (t=-3.061, P=0.002), renal insufficiency (t=-4.547, P<0.001), central nervous system infection (t=5.096, P<0.001) and trauma (t=2.875, P=0.004). SUA was linearly correlated with serum creatinine and BUN (F=159.470 and 165.059, respectively, P<0.001). No statistical correlation was found between the initial levels of SUA and prognosis of infection (χ2=60.892, P=0.100).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study found no direct correlation between the initial levels of SUA after admission and prognosis of infection in critically ill patients.
authors.affiliation: ICU, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
authors.forename: He-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: ICU, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
authors.forename: Ruo-Lan
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Cao
keywords: Blood urea nitrogen; Central nervous system infection; Creatinine; Infection; Intensive care unit; Pneumonia; Prognosis; Renal insufficiency; Uric acid