Association of Serum Uric Acid Levels with Stroke Severity and Short Term Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Evidence from Northeast India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68716/IJAMSR.2026.1201Keywords:
Acute ischemic stroke, serum uric acid, stroke severity, prognostic biomarker, dyslipidemia, mortality outcome, Northeast IndiaAbstract
Background: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains a major cause of disability and death worldwide, with its burden particularly high in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Serum uric acid (SUA) has been proposed as a biomarker with both antioxidant and pro‑oxidant properties, but its prognostic role in AIS is still debated.
Objective: To examine the association between SUA levels, stroke severity, and short‑term outcomes among AIS patients in Northeast India.
Methods: A hospital‑based observational study was conducted on 100 consecutive AIS patients admitted to a tertiary care centre in Tripura. Stroke severity was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and functional outcomes were evaluated with the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS). SUA levels were measured within 24 hours of admission, and associations with severity and in‑hospital mortality were analysed using appropriate statistical methods.
Results: The mean SUA level was 5.1 ± 1.4 mg/dL. SUA values increased progressively with stroke severity, ranging from 3.7 mg/dL in mild cases to 8.6 mg/dL in severe cases (p<0.001). Elevated SUA was significantly associated with higher NIHSS scores and increased mortality, with deaths occurring predominantly in moderate and moderate‑severe categories, and a smaller proportion in severe cases (p<0.001). Dyslipidemia parameters, including high triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL, and low HDL, also correlated with greater severity (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Elevated SUA levels are strongly linked to more severe strokes and poorer short‑term outcomes in AIS patients from Northeast India. SUA, alongside lipid abnormalities, may serve as a cost‑effective biomarker for risk stratification. Future multicentre studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore therapeutic strategies targeting uric acid metabolism.
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