Prevalence and clinical significance of hypouricemia in the emergency department

Hypouricemia prevalence has been reported in different clinical settings, but its prevalence and characteristics in the emergency department (ED) are limitedly studied. This study aimed to assess hypouricemia prevalence and clinical significance in the ED of a Turkish tertiary-care hospital. It was a retrospective, single-center observational study. Patients aged 18 years and older who presented to the ED between June 1, 2022 and June 1, 2023 were included. Data including age, gender, comorbid disease, final diagnosis, serum electrolytes, albumin, and serum uric acid (SUA) levels were obtained. SUA <2 mg/dL was considered as hypouricemia. The study included 35,923 patients, 362 of whom had SUA <2 mg/dL. The prevalence of hypouricemia was 1.008% and was higher in women (1.4% vs 0.4%, P < .001). Hypouricemic patients were younger than non-hypouricemic ones (34.5 [26-57] vs 50 [31-68], P < .001). Hypouricemic patients had a higher 6-month mortality rate than non-hypouricemic patients (5.2% vs 2.8%, P = .006). Among hypouricemic patients, men had a higher mortality rate than women (12.9% vs 3.4%, P = .004). A total of 33.7% of hypouricemic patients were pregnant, and the most common final diagnosis in the ED was abortus imminens, with 17.7%. The prevalence of hypouricemia in ED patients differs between genders. Hypouricemia increases 6-month mortality, more so in men. Obstetric pathologies are the most common final diagnosis of ED in hypouricemic patients. SUA can be monitored as a useful biomarker to ensure a healthy pregnancy and has a warning role in predicting mortality risk. Further studies are needed on hypouricemia.