AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Stroke / 13.07.2015
Acute Ischemic Stroke: Uric Acid May Improve Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Ángel Chamorro
Director, Comprehensive Stroke Center
Hospital Clinic
Barcelona, Spain
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Chamorro: There is a great need of new therapies in patients with acute stroke and our study is based on the clinical observation that patients with acute stroke recover better if at the time of the stroke the levels of uric acid are increased in their blood. That first observation led to a long way of research and administrative challenges but we finally came out with a solution of uric acid (a potent antioxidant) manufactured according to the strict rules which apply to drugs aimed for human use. Thus, we performed a pilot study that showed that uric acid could be safely administered to these patients. We then performed a larger clinical trial in 421 patients which provided very encouraging results overall. Now we are reporting in the Stroke journal appearing on July 9, that women obtained a much greater benefit than men because they had lower levels of uric acid than men because estrogens (female hormones) are efficient excretors of uric acid. In consequence, women were in greater need of uric acid replenishment following the stroke than men.
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