In a study by Wang et al. (2025), researchers found that higher levels of serum uric acid are significantly associated with more severe kidney damage in patients with IgA nephropathy. The study, which included 594 patients, revealed that those with elevated uric acid levels had lower kidney function, higher body mass index, blood pressure, and levels of certain blood components, as well as more severe protein leakage in the urine. These factors were used to create a predictive model, or nomogram, which showed moderate accuracy (C-index: 0.689) in forecasting the risk of disease progression to kidney failure or death.
The study also demonstrated that patients with high uric acid levels and severe kidney damage were at an increased risk of developing end-stage kidney disease or dying. This suggests that monitoring serum uric acid levels could be important for assessing the prognosis in IgA nephropathy patients. Wang et al. emphasize the potential of serum uric acid as an independent marker for kidney damage severity and long-term outcomes in these patients.
