Hyperuricemia is a biomarker of early mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often at high risk of early death. Identification of prognostic biomarkers for COPD may aid in improving their survival by providing early strengthened therapy for high-risk patients. In the present study, we investigated the prognostic role of hyperuricemia at baseline on the prognosis of patients with COPD. Thirty-four patients with COPD with hyperuricemia were matched (1:2) to 68 patients with COPD without hyperuricemia and of similar age and sex. Data from those patients with COPD were evaluated retrospectively. The role of hyperuricemia on mortality was first analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and multivariate Cox regression model was then used to evaluate the prognostic significance of hyperuricemia in patients with COPD. Hyperuricemia was not associated with other baseline characteristics in patients with COPD. Kaplan–Meier survival curve showed that patients with COPD with hyperuricemia had higher risk of mortality compared with patients with normouricemia, and the P-value for log-rank test was 0.005. In univariate analysis, hyperuricemia was associated with higher risk of mortality in patients with COPD (hazard ratio =2.29, 95% CI =1.07–4.88, P=0.032). In the multivariate analysis, hyperuricemia was independently associated with higher risk of mortality in patients with COPD (hazard ratio =2.68, 95% CI =1.18–6.09, P=0.019). In conclusion, hyperuricemia is a promising biomarker of early mortality in patients with COPD.