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An exploratory study of serum urate levels in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

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Abstract

Urate is a natural antioxidant, and high serum urate levels could be protective against the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To determine if serum urate concentrations were lower in ALS patients than in healthy controls, we compared serum urate levels in 132 ALS patients and 337 age/sex-matched controls. Median urate levels were lower in ALS patients compared to controls (4.2mgl/dL [range:1.4–8.2], vs. 4.7 [1.7–13.1]; p = 0.04). In univariate analysis, high urate levels were less likely to be associated with ALS (odds ratio [OR]: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.29–0.97; p = 0.04), but after adjusting for age, sex and kidney function, the association was not statistically significant (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.32–1.24; p = 0.18). Urate levels were lower in bulbar-onset ALS (3.9 mg/dL), compared to limb-onset ALS (4.3; p = 0.001), and in cases with longer disease duration compared to controls (4.1 mg/dL, vs. 4.7; p = 0.01). In this cross-sectional study, lower levels of serum urate were evident in ALS cases with bulbar-onset and longer disease duration, but were likely to be related to the malnutrition induced by ALS.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Donald Halstead of Harvard School of Public Health for his critical comments on the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest, no contracts relating to this research, no grants or funds received.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti, Medical and Neurological Sciences, Clinic of Nervous System Diseases, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy

    Stefano Zoccolella

  2. Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Isabella Laura Simone, Rosa Capozzo, Rosanna Tortelli, Antonio Leo, Eustachio D’Errico & Giancarlo Logroscino

  3. Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Bari, Ospedale Policlinico, P.zza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy

    Giancarlo Logroscino

Authors
  1. Stefano Zoccolella
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  2. Isabella Laura Simone
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  3. Rosa Capozzo
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  4. Rosanna Tortelli
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  5. Antonio Leo
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  6. Eustachio D’Errico
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  7. Giancarlo Logroscino
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Correspondence to Giancarlo Logroscino.

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Zoccolella, S., Simone, I.L., Capozzo, R. et al. An exploratory study of serum urate levels in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neurol 258, 238–243 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-010-5735-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-010-5735-9

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