Contrasting observations have been made between serum urate and ischemic stroke outcomes in studies involving Caucasian populations. To assess the hypothesis that urate is associated with stroke outcomes, a prospective follow-up study was performed in a cohort of Asian patients with ischemic stroke. Patients diagnosed with transient ischemic attack, first or recurrent ischemic stroke were included in this study. Serum urate, measured using high-performance liquid chromatography, was correlated with 12-month functional and vascular stroke outcomes. Poor functional outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale exceeding 2 and vascular outcome was defined as a composite of recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction or vascular death during the study period. A total of 503 patients of mean age 63 (SD 12) years were included. A U-shaped relationship between urate quartiles and poor functional outcomes was demonstrated. More patients with low (<280microM) and high (>410microM) urate levels had poor functional outcomes (36% and 27% respectively), compared to those with urate levels between 340 and 410microM (14%). No significant relationship was observed between urate and vascular outcomes. Depending on its level, serum urate may exhibit protective and deleterious effects on stroke outcomes.