Serum uric acid levels correlate with recurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation

Background Recently there has been a great deal of interest in the role of serum uric acid (SUA) in atrial fibrillation (AF). The objective of this study was to establish whether there is a relationship between levels of SUA and recurrence of paroxysmal AF after catheter ablation. Methods Three hundred and thirty patients diagnosed with paroxysmal AF were analyzed. Patients were categorized into quartiles on the basis of their pre-operative SUA measurement and follow-up, and Kaplan-Meier estimation with a Log-rank test was used for the analysis of the influence of SUA on the recurrence of AF. Pre-procedural clinical variables were correlated with the clinical outcome after ablation using multivariate Logistic analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the relationship between SUA and the recurrence of AF. Results After a mean follow-up of (9.341 +/- 3.667) (range 3.0-16.3) months, recurrence rates from the lowest SUA quartile to the highest SUA quartile were 16.0%, 26.4%, 28.3%, and 29.3% respectively (P=0.014). After adjustment for gender, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, serum levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), triglyceride (TG), left atrial diameter (LA), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and SUA, there was an increased risk of recurrence in subjects in the highest SUA quartile compared with those in the lowest quartile (hazard ratio 2.804, 95% confidence interval 1.466-5.362, P=0.002). Following multivariate Logistical analysis, SUA was found to be an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio 1.613, 95% confidence interval 1.601-1.625, P=0.014). Conclusion In a retrospective study of patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing catheter ablation, elevated preoperative SUA levels were associated with a higher rate of recurrence of AF.