Plasma urate concentrations and possible REM sleep behavior disorder.
Yun Shen1, Junjuan Li2, Michael Schwarzschild3
1Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
|November 13, 2019
Summary
Higher urate levels were linked to a reduced risk of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). However, this association did not hold for new-onset RBD cases in this observational study.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a neurodegenerative disease risk factor.
- Urate, a product of purine metabolism, has potential neuroprotective properties.
- Investigating urate's role in RBD may offer insights into disease pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between plasma urate concentrations and the risk of possible REM sleep behavior disorder (pRBD).
- To explore urate levels as a potential biomarker for RBD risk in a large community cohort.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 12,923 Chinese adults from the Kailuan Study, without PD or dementia, was analyzed.
- Plasma urate concentrations were measured multiple times between 2006-2010.
- pRBD status was assessed in 2012 using the RBD questionnaire-Hong Kong (RBDQ-HK).
Main Results:
- Higher average urate concentrations were significantly associated with lower odds of pRBD (P-trend <0.001).
- The adjusted odds ratio for the highest vs. lowest urate quintiles was 0.43.
- This inverse association was consistent across single urate assessments and changes in urate levels, but not for new-onset pRBD (P-trend = 0.09).
Conclusions:
- Elevated urate concentrations are associated with a reduced likelihood of existing pRBD.
- The findings suggest urate may have a protective role against established pRBD, but not necessarily against its new onset.
- Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms, considering the observational nature of the study.
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