The effects of lowering uric acid levels using allopurinol on markers of metabolic syndrome in end-stage renal disease patients: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Allopurinol was administered to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with elevated uric acid levels presenting with symptoms of gout and also had risk factors of metabolic syndrome. The primary aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of lowering uric acid levels using allopurinol on lipoprotein markers of metabolic syndrome in patients.

METHODS: The study was conducted using a prospective open-label protocol. End-stage renal disease patients (n=12) (mean age: 45.8+/- 13.6 years) undergoing chronic hemodialysis were recruited through their treating physician to participate in this study. All patients had ESRD and were prescribed allopurinol (300 mg/bid) for gout over a 3-month period. Pre-allopurinol and post-allopurinol data was obtained on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, LDL particle number, LDL particle size, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, large HDL particle number, total cholesterol, triglycerides, large very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle number, and uric acid. Changes in lipid values were measured using a one-sample exact Wilcoxon rank sum test.

RESULTS: Significant changes occurred in the primary outcome measures of serum uric acid levels (-3.53 mg/dL, p=0.01), LDL cholesterol (-14.00 mg/dL, p=0.04), and triglycerides (32.67 mg/dL, p=0.01). Trends were observed in lipid markers that warrant further investigation.

CONCLUSION: Novel findings of our study suggest that lowering uric acid in ESRD patients may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in this population. It should be noted than an increase in triglycerides may mitigate the reduction in risk.