Association of time-averaged serum uric acid level with clinicopathological information and long-term outcomes in patients with IgA nephropathy

PeerJ. 2024 Apr 19:12:e17266. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17266. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Objective: Whether serum uric acid (SUA) at baseline could been identiûed as a risk factor for progression in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients remains unclear, therefore, long- term SUA control levels must be monitored. We aimed to investigate the relevant factors affecting time-averaged SUA (TA-SUA) and to assess the prognostic value of TA-SUA in IgAN.

Methods: This retrospective study included 152 patients with IgAN. The relationships between TA-SUA and clinicopathological features and renal outcomes (defined as the doubling of the baseline serum creatinine level or end-stage renal disease) were analyzed in groups divided by quartiles of TA-SUA levels, the presence of hyperuricemia, and sex.

Results: Patients with high TA-SUA levels had higher levels of baseline SUA, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), triglycerides, serum C3 and serum C4 and were more likely to be male and have hypertension, proteinuria, poor renal function, and pathological injuries including high grades of tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (T1-T2). These patients had a poorer prognosis compared with patients with low TA-SUA levels. The TA-SUA level was positively correlated with baseline age and BUN, triglycerides, serum C3, and serum C4 levels, and negatively correlated with baseline eGFR. Survival curve analysis indicated that persistent hyperuricemia was associated with significantly poorer renal outcomes than normo-uricemia in both men and women. The TA-SUA level also was an independent predictor of renal outcome in patients with IgAN, with optimal cutoû values of 451.38 µmol/L (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.934) for men and 492.83 µmol/L (AUC = 0.768) for women.

Conclusions: The TA-SUA level is associated with triglyceride level, complement component levels, renal function, and pathological severity of IgAN, and it may be a prognostic indicator in male and female patients with IgAN.

Keywords: IgA nephropathy; Prognosis; Risk factors; Time-averaged serum uric acid.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Glomerulonephritis, IGA* / blood
  • Glomerulonephritis, IGA* / pathology
  • Humans
  • Hyperuricemia / blood
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / blood
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prognosis
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Uric Acid* / blood

Substances

  • Uric Acid

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project (No. 2021Y2005). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.