Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric condition typified by episodic shifts in mood, including manic, hypomanic, depressive, and mixed phases. Uric acid (UA), a by-product of purine catabolism, has been implicated in the neurochemical pathways underlying mood dysregulation, particularly in manic states. This study aimed to evaluate and compare serum UA levels across individuals with bipolar mania and major depressive disorder during their acute phases and healthy controls to assess its potential as a biochemical marker for distinguishing mood episodes. Early identification of mood episodes remains a clinical challenge, as reliable predictive markers preceding the onset of full-blown symptoms are currently lacking. Methodology: A cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted involving 87 subjects, stratified into three cohorts: bipolar mania ( n = 29), unipolar depression ( n = 29), and healthy controls ( n = 29). Serum UA concentrations were measured through the enzymatic uricase method. Descriptive statistics were computed, and intergroup comparisons were made using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Bonferroni-corrected post hoc tests for pairwise analysis. Results: Mean serum UA levels were significantly elevated in the mania group (5.507 ± 1.2386 mg/dL), compared to the depression group (4.824 ± 1.0504 mg/dL) and controls (4.259 ± 0.5382 mg/dL). ANOVA demonstrated a statistically significant difference across groups ( P < 0.001). Post hoc Bonferroni analysis revealed significant differences between the mania and depression groups ( P = 0.030) and between mania and controls ( P < 0.001), while the difference between depression and controls was not statistically significant ( P = 0.096). Conclusion: Elevated serum UA in bipolar mania compared to unipolar depression and controls suggests its potential utility as a state-dependent biomarker for distinguishing manic episodes in mood disorders.
Vaakath et al. (Wed,) studied this question.