Allopurinol as a preventive contrivance after acute ischemic stroke in patients with a high level of serum uric acid: a randomized, controlled trial

ABSTRACT

To assess the clinical relevance [functional outcome] of a 3-month allopurinol regimen in patients with high serum uric acid [SUA] levels and acute ischemic stroke without considering the changes in SUA levels. In a randomized, double-blind, controlled study, 70 patients [45 females, 25 males] with acute ischemic stroke who had elevated levels of SUA were included. They were divided in two 35-patient groups to investigate the effect of 3 months of an allopurinol [200 mg/day] regimen versus placebo on their functional outcome, which was evaluated using a modified Rankin scale. The overall mean age was 68.9 +/- 11.33 years [range 27-89]. The final favorable functional status [mRS = 0-2] was 23 [65.7%] and 14 [40.0%] in the treated and placebo groups, respectively, which was strongly associated with allopurinol consumption [OR = 4.646, p = 0.014] and age patients with ischemic stroke after adjusting for confounders. There was no significant difference in death between allopurinol-treated cases [3; 8.6%] and placebo-treated ones [6; 17.2%; p = 0.278]. Allopurinol treatment was well tolerated and improved the 3-month functional status of patients with acute ischemic stroke who had high levels of SUA without considering the decreasing effect of allopurinol on SUA