Low serum uric acid levels may be a potential biomarker of poor sleep quality in patients with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Background: Sleep disorders are common non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the pathogenesis of sleep disorders in PD patients remains unclear. Previous studies have implicated oxidative stress in sleep disorders associated with PD. Considering uric acid (UA) acts as a natural antioxidant, in this study, we aimed to assess the use of serum UA as a potential biomarker of sleep disorder in PD patients.

Methods: This study recruited 149 PD patients and 84 Age- and sex-matched individuals. According to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, PD patients were divided into three groups, good (≤5), intermediate (6-10), and poor (>10). Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were also performed to identify clinical features and serum UA levels that help establish an accurate diagnostic model for poor sleep quality in PD patients.

Results: PD patients who experienced poor sleep quality had lower serum UA levels. PSQI scores have significant negative relationships with serum UA levels and significant positive relationships with Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores in PD. Poor sleep quality was independently associated with serum UA levels and HAMD scores. A serum UA level of 328.7 μmol/L and HAMD scores of 19.5 could distinguish PD patients with poor or intermediate sleep to a certain extent, sensitivity of 79.4% and specificity of 76.6%.

Conclusions: Low serum UA levels may correlate with the severity of sleep disorder in PD patients and may serve as a biomarker for poor sleep quality in PD.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease; Risk factor; Serum uric acid; Sleep disorders; Sleep quality.