The Link between Hypouricemia and Neurodegenerative Disorders

The potential danger to patients’ health due to hypouricemia has only recently become a research topic of interest. While it has been established that normal uric acid levels have antioxidative and neuroprotective properties, the loss of these functions with uric acid levels below the normal range have been studied only recently and findings suggest potential detrimental effects on the brain and cognitive abilities. The purpose of this study is to look at potential connections between hypouricemia and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Seventy-seven inpatients and outpatients with routine uric acid testing were included and further stratified into patients with neurodegenerative disease and patients without neurodegenerative disease. The results showed that rates of Alzheimer’s disease differ between patients with hypouricemia and normal uric acid levels, however this association was not found for patients with vascular dementia. This provides evidence for potential effects of hypouricemia and raises the question for further research define a safe range of serum uric acid.