Hypouricemia in the emergency department: A retrospective, single‐center study

BACKGROUNDS: Few studies have reported the prevalence and characteristics of hypouricemia in the emergency department (ED). We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of hypouricemia in the ED of a university‐affiliated hospital in Japan. METHODS: This is a retrospective cross‐sectional single‐center study. All adult patients (18 years old or older) who had their serum uric acid (SUA) measured at the ED between 2011 and 2021 were included. Information collected included age, sex, SUA, and serum creatinine. Hypouricemia was defined as an SUA level ≦2.0 mg/dL. RESULTS: A total of 10,551 patients were included in the study. Fifty‐one percent were male. The median SUA levels were significantly higher in men than in women (6.0 [4.8−7.4] vs. 4.7 [3.7−6.1], p < 0.001). The prevalence of hypouricemia was higher in women than in men (2.0% vs. 0.9%, p < 0.001). A possible cause of hypouricemia was identified in 88 patients. Malignancy and diabetes were the major possible cause of hypouricemia (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The distribution of SUA levels and prevalence of hypouricemia differed significantly by sex and age in the ED. Malignancy was the leading cause of hypouricemia in the ED.