Assessment of serum uric acid levels in patients with restless legs syndrome

Decreased Serum Uric Acid Level as an Indicator of Altered Oxidative Balance in Patients With Migraine

INTRODUCTION

Migraine is one of the most common neurological diseases. The pathophysiology of migraine has not yet been fully elucidated. There is increasing evidence supporting the relationship between oxidative stress and migraine.

METHOD

This is a retrospective, cross-sectional and observational study. The patients were divided into two groups, episodic migraine and chronic migraine. Episodic migraine patients were divided into two subgroups, migraine with aura and migraine without aura. Serum Albumin, total bilirubin, uric acid levels, and migraine clinical findings were obtained from medical records.

RESULTS

A total of 181 participants, 88 patients and 93 controls, were included in the study. Serum albumin levels were lower in the patient group than in the control group, they did not reach statistical significance (p=0.082). There was no significant difference between the patient and control groups for total bilirubin levels (p=0.785). Serum uric acid levels in the patient group were found to be significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.001). Measured levels were similar in chronic and episodic migraine groups, and migraine with aura and migraine without aura subgroups.

CONCLUSION

We thought this oxidative stress marker may be associated with the presence of migraine, but this is not significant for migraine subtypes and migraine progression.

Evaluation of simple antioxidant blood parameters in patients with migraine

Background

The study aims to investigate the role of serum albumin (ALB) and creatinine (CRE), bilirubin (BIL), and uric acid (UA) as major intravascular antioxidants in migraine.

Methods

We enrolled 148 patients with migraine and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The serum levels of ALB, TBIL, CRE, and UA were measured in patients with migraine of different subtypes. The risk of migraine was assessed by multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis.

Results

The serum levels of ALB, total BIL (TBIL), CRE, and UA were significantly lower in the migraine group than in the HC group (p < 0.05). The ALB and UA levels were lower during migraine attack periods (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences observed in serum ALB, TBIL, CRE, and UA levels between aura/without aura and episodic/chronic migraine subtypes (p > 0.05). The multiple stepwise logistic regression revealed that ALB [odds ratio (OR) 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–0.89, p < 0.001], TBIL (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.5–0.75, p < 0.001), and UA (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96–0.99, p = 0.014) were independently associated with migraine. In addition, the serum levels of ALB, TBIL, and UA were significantly lower in the migraine group when compared by sex.

Conclusion

The serum levels of UA, TBIL, ALB, and CRE were lower in the patients with migraine, indicating a lower antioxidant status. In addition, ALB, TBIL, and UA were independently related to migraine. These results could provide insights into the possible role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of migraine.

Psychological status and serum uric acid levels in narcolepsy with type 1: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

The relationship between uric acid and patients with type 1 (NT1) remains unclear. UA may contribute to the development of depression. Depression is also common in NT1. Our study aimed to evaluate serum levels of UA, creatinine, and UA/Cr ratio, and examine the association of serum UA levels with psychological status in NT1 patients.

METHODS

This is a case-control study conducted on 48 patients diagnosed with NT1 and 40 healthy controls (HC). The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating (HAMD-17) was used as screening tools for depressive symptoms for patients with NT1. Serum UA, creatinine, and UA/Cr ratio were measured. In addition, the correction of UA status and scores of depressive scales was statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

Approximately 70% of all subjects with NT1 had depression or depressive symptoms compared with the HC group, the serum UA levels and UA/Cr ratios were higher in patients with NT1 (p < 0.05). In addition, there was a negative correlation between UA levels and HAMD-17 scores in NT1 patients (r = -0.334; p = 0.020).

CONCLUSION

We found that serum UA levels were higher in patients with NT1, and the serum UA levels were negatively correlated with depressive symptom scores. Further well-designed prospective cohort studies are needed to determine the causality of the correlation and to further clarify the pathophysiological mechanisms of UA in NT1 patients.

Sleep disorders and gout in Australian adults

BACKGROUND

The aims of our study were two-fold. Firstly, to determine if there is an association between gout and OSA in a representative Australian adult population. Secondly, to explore associations between gout and patient reported sleep outcomes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional national online survey of a representative sample of Australian adults > 18 years assessed self-reported doctor-diagnosed OSA, insomnia and patient reported sleep outcomes. Possible undiagnosed OSA was estimated using self-reported frequent loud snoring and witnessed apnoeas. Participants self-reported physician-diagnosed gout and other health conditions. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed for both objectives. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were reported.

RESULTS

There were 1948 participants of whom 126 (6.5%) had gout and 124 (6.4%) had diagnosed sleep apnoea. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), sex, alcohol intake and the presence of arthritis, those with obstructive sleep apnoea diagnosed on polysomnography were twice as likely to report having gout compared to those without. (OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.5-4.6). Additionally, participants with symptoms suggestive of sleep apnoea were also twice as likely to have gout compared to those without (OR = 2.8, 95%CI 1.6-5.1). There was also a higher likelihood of restless legs syndrome, insomnia and worry about sleep in patients with gout.

CONCLUSION

Diagnosed and suspected OSA are associated with higher likelihood of gout. Participants with gout are also more likely to report suffering from restless legs syndrome, insomnia and worry about their sleep. Given the morbidity associated with sleep problems, we should be vigilant regarding sleep health in our patients with gout.

Plasma thiol/disulphide homeostasis changes in patients with restless legs syndrome

OBJECTIVES

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological condition. Oxidative stress plays an important role in its pathogenesis. Thiol-disulphide homeostasis (TDH) is a new biomarker of oxidative stress. We studied plasma TDH to determine whether TDH could be used as a new biomarker for RLS and evaluated correlations between TDH and various disease severity rating scales.

METHODS

A total of 25 RLS patients and 25 healthy controls were included into the study. TDH status was determined using an automated spectrophotometric analysis method and correlations were analyzed between the TDH status and various disease rating scales in the RLS patients.

RESULTS

Plasma total (401±27 μmol/L) and native thiol (354±30 μmol/L) levels were significantly lower, but disulphide level (24±6 μmol/L) was significantly (<0.0001) higher in the RLS patients compared to the controls (455±36, 424±37, 15±5 μmol/L, respectively). The disulphide/native thiol and disulphide/total thiol ratios increased, in contrast, native thiol/total thiol ratio decreased significantly in the RLS patients compared to the healthy controls (<0.0001). The disulphide levels correlated positively with age and various rating scores of the RLS patients. International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) rating score and age correlated negatively with the total and native thiol levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate increased oxidative stress in the RLS patients reflected by decreased native and total thiol, and increased disulphide levels and positive correlations between the disulphide levels and various rating scores. We suggest dynamic TDH status to be used as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and follow-up of the RLS patients.

Evaluation of serum uric levels in migraine

OBJECTIVE

In our study, the aim was to identify the serum uric acid levels, a marker of oxidative stress, according to migraine subtypes (aura/without aura and episodic/chronic migraine).

METHOD

The study included 300 migraine patients and 150 healthy controls for a total of 450 individuals. Migraine and subtypes were diagnosed according to International Classification of Headache Disorders-2013 criteria. Patients were evaluated during attendance at the neurology clinic.

RESULTS

Our patient group was 77.0% female and disease duration was 9.2 ± 7.2 years. Our control group comprised 77.3% females. The age intervals in the patient and control groups were 36.4 ± 10.4 years and 36.0 ± 8.1 years. There was no statistically significant difference between our control and patient groups in terms of age and gender (p = .937 and p = .655). The serum UA, ferritin, and urea levels in our patient group were found to be significantly low compared to the healthy control group (p < .001). The serum UA levels in the migraine and control groups were 3.7 ± 0.7 and 4.6 ± 0.7 mg/dL, respectively (p < .001). There were no statistically significant differences observed between serum uric acid levels and other blood parameters between aura/without aura and episodic/chronic migraine subtypes (p > .05).

CONCLUSION

Our study supports the hypothesis that the oxidative stress marker of serum uric acid levels may be associated with migraine diagnosis, concluding that serum uric acid levels were not significant for migraine subtypes.