Hyperuricaemia linked to short-term readmission, mortality risk in HF

For patients with heart failure (HF), hyperuricaemia is a risk factor for an increase in the risk of short-term hospital readmission and mortality, as reported in a retrospective study.

Researchers used data from the HF database specific to the Chinese population. A total of 1,850 HF patients were included in the final cohort. Of the patients, 765 had normal serum uric acid (SUA) levels (normouricaemia group [NUA]) and 1,085 had elevated SUA levels (hyperuricaemia [HUA]) based on a SUA threshold of 420 µmol/L. All patients were followed for 90 days to assess short-term readmission or all-cause mortality.

Several baseline characteristics differed significantly between the NUA and HUA groups, with the latter having a higher prevalence of males (32.3 percent vs 48.1 percent; p<0.001), chronic kidney disease (12.6 percent vs 30.8 percent; p<0.001), and elevated levels of various biomarkers such as creatinine, SUA, potassium, and NT-proNP (p<0.001 for all), among others.

During a 90-day follow-up, readmission or all-cause mortality events occurred in 493 (26.6 percent) patients, including in 31.2 percent in the HUA group and in 20.1 percent in the NUA group. When a threshold effect was determined at 420 µmol/L, SUA had a nonlinear association with the risk of short-term readmission or all-cause mortality.

In an analysis adjusted for gender, age, New York Heart Association class, chronic kidney disease, systolic blood pressure, and potassium, the HUA group had a 40-percent higher risk of short-term readmission or mortality compared with the NUA group (hazard ratio, 1.40, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.14–1.72; p=0.001). Furthermore, the risk increased across quartiles of SUA (p=0.002 for trend). In stratified analyses, the observed association was stronger among patients without chronic kidney disease (p=0.033 for interaction).

The present data highlight the importance of monitoring and managing SUA in improving outcomes of patients with HF.