376 Copyright © 2015 Korean Neurological Association

Background and PurposezzIt has been suggested that oxidative stress is one of the pathomechanisms underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and thus antioxidants such as uric acid (UA) that could reduce oxidative stress might be beneficial in the prevention or treatment of this disease. The objective of this study was to prospectively investigate serum UA levels in Korean ALS patients and to relate them to disease progression. MethodszzALS patients and healthy controls who were individually well-matched for sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) underwent blood testing for serum UA levels, and analyzed whether UA levels were correlated with the disease status of the patients, as defined by the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R). ResultszzThe study included 136 ALS patients and 136 matched controls. The UA level was lower in the ALS patients (4.50±1.17 mg/dL, mean±SD) than in the controls (5.51±1.22 mg/ dL; p<0.001). Among the ALS patients, the level of UA acid was inversely correlated with the rate of disease progression (decrease in ALSFRS-R score). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that a better survival rate was more strongly correlated with top-tertile levels of serum UA than with bottom-tertile levels (log-rank test: p=0.035). ConclusionszzALS patients had lower serum UA levels than did healthy individuals. UA lev-els in ALS were negatively correlated with the rate of disease progression and positively asso-ciated with survival, suggesting that UA levels contribute to the progression of ALS. UA levels could be considered a biomarker of disease progression in the early phase in ALS patients. Key Wordszz amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; uric acid; survival; oxidative stress; prognosis