Elevated uric acid and functional mitral regurgitation in dilated cardiomyopathy

Recent findings suggest that there is a close relationship between chronic heart failure and uric acid.

The aim of the study was to assess whether increased uric acid levels in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy might correlate with the degree of functional mitral regurgitation (MR).

Sixty two consecutive patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy were included in the study. The patients were classified according to severity of functional MR into two groups: mild-moderate functional MR (ERO < 0.2 cm2) and severe functional MR.

The patients with severe functional MR had significantly higher serum uric acid levels compared to patients without severe functional MR (6.34 ± 1.61 mg/dL vs 5.43 ± 1.17 mg/dL respectively, p = 0.012). Furthermore, tenting area, an important predictor of functional MR severity, was moderately correlated with the serum uric acid levels (r = 0.351, p = 0.005). It was also shown that the serum uric acid concentrations were inversely correlated with left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, and positively correlated with LV volumes. There was also a significant relation between the serum uric acid and left atrial volumes and also brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels.

In conclusion, this study demonstrates that elevated serum uric acid levels in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy are correlated with the severity of functional MR and echocardiographic volume indices.