Effects of urate-lowering therapy in hyperuricemia on slowing the progression of renal function: a meta-analysis

Uric acid (UA) is generally regarded as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis of patients with kidney disease. However, urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in asymptomatic hyperuricemia is conservative. Whether the beneficial effect on renal function can be achieved by lowering UA remains uncertain. A compound search for randomized controlled trials was conducted in databases consisting of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Chinese Science and Technology periodical databases. Two investigators independently screened these studies, assessed the included trials, and extracted data. Eleven articles with a total number of 753 participants met the criteria and were included in our meta-analysis. The results showed that ULT was associated with a decrease in serum creatinine and an increase in eGFR. Our study further confirms that ULT may have beneficial effects on slowing the progression of renal function.