Serum Uric Acid Levels In Patients With Diabetes Mellitus And Its Correlation With Glomerular Filtration Rate

Abstract

Context: Serum uric acid is a potential risk factor for development of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Hyperuricemia is frequently found in persons with metabolic syndrome. Aim: To compare the serum uric acid in the normal population and in those with diabetes mellitus. Settings and Design: A comparative study was conducted in a tertiary-care teaching hospital in South India, with 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 100 healthy controls. Methods and Material: Serum uric acid levels were compared in patients with diabetes and the controls. The serum uric acid levels of the cases and controls were correlated with GFR. Association with factors such as age, gender, BMI, duration of diabetes, proteinuria and hypertension were looked for. Statistical analysis used: Appropriate test of significance such as Student t test, one-way ANOVA test and Pearson’s correlation were used. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean GFR in cases were 82.6 and in controls were 116.76. The mean serum uric acid levels were significantly higher among cases as compared to controls (4.8 v/s 3.7 mg/dl. A weak negative correlation was obtained between serum uric acid levels and GFR, both in diabetics as well as healthy controls. Conclusions: Serum uric acid levels were higher in patients with diabetes mellitus than in the normal population. Those with elevated serum uric acid levels were found to have reduced GFR.