Relationships among urine pH, serum uric acid and pyuria in hospitalized elderly patients

To identify risk factors of urinary tract infection (UTI) in geriatric patients, the levels of serum uric acid, serum creatinine, and urine pH were compared between pyuria-positive and -negative patients in a geriatric ward. The level of serum uric acid was higher with lower urine pH level in the pyuria-negative patients than in positive patients. The level of serum creatinine was relatively higher in the pyuria-negative patients than in the positive patients. Even after matching for serum creatinine, serum uric acid was significantly higher in the pyuria-negative male patients. The results in the present study proposed an interesting hypothesis about backgrounds for UTI in geriatric patients. The relationships among serum uric acid, serum creatinine, urine pH, and pyuria should be examined further in a larger population and in experimental studies.