[Hyperuricemia as a risk factor for cerebrovascular accident: a case-control study]

Although several collateral studies have been made of the relationship between hyperuricemia and cerebral vascular accidents (CVA), no definite conclusion has been reached.

To analyze the possible relationship between hyperuricemia and CVA.

We studied the cases and controls paired for age, sex and hospital. They included patients with CVA (125) and controls (250 ophthalmological patients). Both groups contained 50.4% men and 49.6% women with an average age of 70 +/- 11 years. Data regarding vascular risk factors, a known personal history of hyperuricemia were recorded and serum uric acid levels determined in both groups. The relative risks were calculated using the Odds Ratio (OR) with a confidence interval of 95% (CI 95) and a conditional logistic regression study made.

A statistically significant relationship was found between CVA and: arterial hypertension (OR: 6.32; CI 95: 3.43, 11.65); smoking (OR: 3.79; CI 95: 1.36, 10.58); alcoholism (OR: 2.54; CI 95: 1.11, 5.41); ischemic cardiopathy (OR: 2.37; CI 95: 1.2, 4.70) and previous CVA (OR: 5.93; CI 95: 3.17, 11.09). No relation was found with: a history of hyperuricemia (OR: 1.53; CI 95: 0.63, 3.73), serum uric acid levels (OR: 0.86, CI 95: 0.36, 2.00 when the uricemia was between 5 and 5.99 mg/dl and OR: 0.46, CI 95: 0.21, 1.02, when the uricemia was over 6 mg/dl).

Our results suggest that hyperuricemia is not an independent risk factor for CVA.