The Association Between Uric Acid and Symmetric Dimethylarginine Levels in the Patients Undergoing Twice-weekly Hemodialysis

Uric acid (UA) levels are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in hemodialysis patients. However, there are still conflicting data on the mechanism of increased risks related to uric acid levels.

This study assessed the association between uric acid levels and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), as a marker of cardiovascular disease, in the subjects undergoing hemodialysis twice weekly.

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. We included all the adults who underwent hemodialysis twice weekly for at least three months in our hospital. Subjects already on uric acid lowering therapy, pregnant or lactating women and those with a history of malignancy were excluded. Uric acid and SDMA levels were measured at the same time in pre-dialysis venous blood samples. Bivariate analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test or one-way ANOVA.

A total of 126 subjects were included. The median level of UA was 8.4 mg/dL (IQR: 2.6, min: 4.1, max: 13.6), and 72 subjects (57.14%) had UA levels of 8 mg/dL or higher. The median SDMA level was 535.5 (312.7) mmol/dL (min: 119.7, max: 1895.5). Subjects with UA levels > 8 mg/dL had significantly higher SDMA levels compared to subjects with UA levels < 8 mg/dL (550.1 (IQR: 357.25) vs 491.35 (IQR: 181.1), P: 0.0475).

In twice-weekly hemodialysis patients, UA levels above 8 mg/dL were associated with increased SDMA levels.