Relation between Uric Acid and Alzheimer's Disease in Elderly Jordanians

Background: It has been suggested that oxidative injuries have a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Uric acid (UA) has a contradictory effect on cognitive function and several lines of evidence suggest that UA may modulate outcome in neurological diseases. Objectives: Many studies investigated serum UA levels in AD patients, but to date, results from these observational studies are conflicting. In this study, we assess whether serum UA levels would be altered in the AD Jordanian patients compared to those of the healthy controls. Methods: Serum UA and lipid profile levels were measured in 41 AD patients and 40 healthy controls. Results were statistically evaluated at p < 0.05 level of significance. The Arabic version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-A) was used to evaluate the cognitive functions of all participants. Results: Demographic variables indicate that individuals that are illiterate demonstrate a 7.5 fold (p = 0.033) increase in risk of developing AD. The AD group shows 12.6% lower serum UA level than control subjects and the difference between groups is statistically significant (p = 0.033). No significant differences could be found between the two groups in lipid profile levels. Pearson correlation coefficients and Multivarient linear regression show no significant correlation between MMSE and continuous variables in AD patients except for age. Conclusion: The results suggest that serum UA levels are significantly lower in AD patients in comparison to control subjects. UA may have a protective role against AD; however this role needs further investigations.