Serum uric acid levels in cardiovascular diseases.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of the serum uric acid levels of healthy people (n=71) and patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) (n=62). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The patients included had either experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (n=31), atherosclerosis (AT) (n=23) or ischaemia (n=8). The mean values (x+/-SD) of serum uric acid levels of the control group, the patients with CVD as a whole, and patients with AMI, AT and ischaemia were 4.15+/-0.45 mg%, 5.6+/-2.06 mg%, 5.96+/-2.60 mg%, 5.38+/-1.22 mg% and 4.94+/-1.40 mg%, respectively. A statistically higher level of serum uric acid was found in the controls compared to the CVD patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The higher serum uric acid levels found in CVD patients suggests that any protective antioxidant effect which uric acid has is overwhelmed by other negative effects on pathogenesis.