Adults with hyperuricemia and gout are most likely to develop liver dysfunctions and suffer associated morbidities, according to a study published in Diseases. Researchers examined the association between uric acid levels and liver enzyme functions among adults with hyperuricemia and gout in the United States, using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2007 to 2016. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics and for differences using the t test, Chi-square test, and ANOVA. A regression analysis was performed to determine association between demographics and liver enzymes. A total of 14,946 adults were included; sample mean age was 49 ± 0.15, and 54% were female. Overall, 15% of adults had elevated uric acid levels (≥6.8 mg/dL), men had significantly higher uric acid levels than women (6 mg/dL vs 4.8 mg/dL). High uric acid levels were associated with more than two times higher odds of elevated ALT, AST and GGT. Similarly, gender-based target uric acid values were associated with two fold increased odds of GGT, more than 1.5-fold higher odds of ALT and AST.
Synovial Fluid Lymphocytes May Be Biomarker for Gout
Synovial fluid lymphocytes have a higher diagnostic value for gout than for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), and osteoarthritis (OA), and therefore, may be a reliable, cost-effective, and novel potential biomarker for gout, according to a study published in Disease Markers. Researchers retrospectively collected the synovial fluid cell counts of patients with gout, RA, axSpA, and OA and investigated the diagnostic value of synovial fluid cell counts for gout. Patients with gout were divided into normal serum uric acid (sUA) and high sUA groups according to sUA levels on attack and laboratory data were recorded. The study team found that synovial fluid cell counts of patients with gout differed from those of patients with RA, axSpA, and OA. Synovial fluid white blood cell, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), monocyte, polymorphonuclear, and neutrophil counts in patients with gout were higher than those in patients with OA. The synovial fluid PBMC and lymphocyte counts in patients with gout were lower than those in patients with RA and axSpA.
