Hyperuricemia is associated with acute kidney injury and all‐cause mortality in hospitalized patients.

Aim: Hyperuricemia is a risk factor for high morbidity and mortality in several diseases. However, the relationship between uric acid (UA) and the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality remain unresolved in hospitalized patients. Methods: Data from 18 444 hospitalized patients were retrospectively reviewed. The odds ratio (OR) for AKI and the hazard ratio (HR) for all‐cause mortality were calculated based on the UA quartiles after adjustment for multiple variables. All analyses were performed after stratification by sex. Results: The fourth quartile group (male, UA > 6.7 mg/dL; female, UA > 5.4 mg/dL) showed a higher risk of AKI compared with the first quartile group (male, UA < 4.5 mg/dL; female, UA < 3.6 mg/dL), with the following OR: 3.2 (2.55–4.10) in males (P < 0.001); and 3.1 (2.40–4.19) in females (P < 0.001). There were more patients who did not recover from AKI in the fourth quartile compared with the first quartile, with the following OR: 2.0 (1.32–3.04) in males (P = 0.001) and 2.4 (1.43–3.96) in females (P = 0.001). The fourth quartile group had a higher risk of all‐cause mortality compared with the first quartile group, with the following HR: 1.4 (1.20–1.58) in males (P < 0.001) and 1.2 (1.03–1.46) in females (P = 0.019). The in‐hospital mortality risk was also higher in the fourth quartile compared with the first quartile, which was significant only in males (OR, 2.1 (1.33–3.31) (P = 0.002)). Conclusion: Hyperuricemia increases the risks of AKI and all‐cause mortality in hospitalized patients. Summary at a Glance: The present study revealed that patients with a high serum uric acid level had a higher risk of AKI compared with those with a low uric acid level. A high uric acid level was also associated with the risk of non‐recovery from AKI. These findings raise a possible further study about the dose‐response relationship (in particular, the non‐linear relationship) between serum uric acid and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]