Evaluation of Serum Uric Acid Level in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

The term Parkinsonism is used for a motor syndrome whose main symptoms are tremor at rest, stiffness, slowing of movement and postural instability. Parkinsonism can be divided into four subtypes according to their origin: primary or idiopathic, secondary or acquired, hereditary Parkinsonism and Parkinson plus syndromes.Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate serum uric acid levels in PD patients compared with age matched healthy controls, their possible relationship with several clinical parameters of PD and the existence of any difference between sexes.Patients and Methods: This is a case - control study that was carried out in the inpatients and outpatients Clinics of Neurology department of Zagazig University Hospitals in the period from February 2011 to December 2011. The study included 60 subjects who were divided into two groups: Group I: Thirty patients with clinically definite Parkinson’ disease (PD) were selected to participate in this study. Data about age, gender, disease duration and type of pharmacological treatment were obtained from participants. We further divided our patients into two subgroups: Group la: Patients received levodopa and equivalent levodopa therapy. Group lb: Patients did not receive any specific anti-parkinsonian treatment.Results: The serum level of uric acid had significant inverse correlation with disease duration and clinical severity, thus uric acid level could be suggested as a prognostic biomarker in PD. Patients with PD had significantly lower BMI than controls and there was a significant correlation between BMI and clinical severity of the disease measured by Hoehn and Yahr scale. The lower body weight is associated with negative health effect and a poor prognosis and hence monitoring weight and nutritional status of PD patients could be a part of management.Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between serum uric acid and cognitive function measured by MMSE in parkinsonian patients denoting the sensitivity of uric acid for cognitive changes in patients with PD..