Lower uric acid in early psychosis remained an uncertain finding
Studies comparing people experiencing first-episode psychosis with healthy controls suggested lower blood uric acid, but the evidence was inconclusive. Reported decreases were restricted to certain ethnic populations.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review examined whether blood uric acid was lower in people experiencing their first episode of psychosis than in healthy controls. Although some studies suggested that pattern, the evidence was not definitive and decreases were limited to certain ethnic populations. The findings do not establish uric acid as a reliable indicator of early psychosis.
The abstract gives no pooled effect size or details of the ethnic subgroups showing decreases. The case-control comparisons also cannot establish whether uric acid differences precede psychosis, result from it or reflect other differences between the groups.
The measured outcome was a blood level
Researchers compared uric acid concentrations in serum or plasma, components of blood, rather than symptoms or recovery. A tendency toward lower concentrations is therefore a possible biomarker pattern, not evidence of a clinical benefit or a treatment target.
The proposed explanation remained uncertain
The authors investigated whether reduced uric acid could reflect oxidative stress, a form of chemical stress, in early psychosis. Their findings did not fully support that proposal. The review leaves both the relationship and its magnitude unresolved.
The original publication
Uric Acid in First-Episode Psychosis: A Systematic Review.
Rego D, Ferreira SR, Madeira N
Alpha Psychiatry · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40630880
- Record checked
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