Hyperuricemia and Adverse Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 Disease

Background: Hyperuricemia is associated with several risk factors for mortality and severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifestations.Objective: The objective of this research was to examine whether hyperuricemia is a risk factor for mortality and other adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19.Design: This is a retrospective review of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between March 15 and November 30, 2020, with available uric acid (UA) levels.Results: Among 1566 patients who were hospitalized during the study period, 222 patients had an available UA level. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 56.5 ± 19.5 years. The mean ± SD for UA (mg/dL) among the total cohort was 5.65 ± 2.18, and 21.2% of the total study population had hyperuricemia (UA > 7 mg/dL) on admission. The mortality rate was 14.4%, and mortality was associated with higher UA levels on admission (6.9 ± 2.6 mg/dL vs. 5.5 ± 2 mg/dL in patients who survived, P < 0.05). Patients who needed intensive oxygen support (high-flow nasal cannula or mechanical ventilation) and those who required longer-than-average hospitalization (> 7 days) had more hyperuricemia (intensive oxygen support: 30% vs. 18%, P = 0.07; long hospitalization 29% vs. 16.2%, P < 0.05).Conclusion: Our findings show that high UA levels are associated with adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. We suggest evaluating hyperuricemia as a marker that integrates and reflects both poor prognostic baseline characteristics and acute components such as inflammatory state, hypovolemic state, and renal failure.