Higher Serum Uric Acid Associated with Decreased Parkinson's Disease Prevalence in a Large Community-Based Survey

A large community-based cross-sectional survey provided an opportunity to evaluate a previously reported association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and low serum uric acid (UA) levels in this population. The association between a self-reported PD diagnosis with treatment (n = 59) and serum UA level was examined using logistic and linear regression models, controlling for key covariates. In adjusted models, participants with UA levels at or above the median had a significantly lower odds of reporting PD with treatment compared with those with lower UA levels (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19-0.60, P = 0.0002). This association was observed for both men and women. The mean UA level among participants reporting PD with treatment was 0.78 mg/dI lower than the mean UA level among those not reporting (D <= 0.0001). These findings concur with several previous longitudinal studies that found an association between higher UA levels and decreased PD risk. (C) 2010 Movement Disorder Society