Clinical significance of hypouricemia in hospitalized patients

Serum uric acid was measured in 586 normal subjects and 1,220 hospitalized patients. Hypouricemia was noted in 0.34% of the normal subjects and 2.54% of the hospitalized patients. Among hospitalized patients with hypouricemia, 22 were on medication, including allopurinol, anticancer drugs, antibiotics and glucocorticoids. Twenty-one patients had liver disorders and 11 of them had received transfusions. Neoplastic diseases were noted in 14 patients. Thus, hypouricemia was found to be relatively common in hospitalized patients, and seems to be caused mainly by medication, neoplastic diseases, liver disorders and transfusions.