Diagnostic implications of uric acid in electroanalytical measurements

Urate has a long history in clinical analysis and has served as an important diagnostic in a number of contexts. The increasing interest in metabolic syndrome has led to urate being used in combination with a number of other biomarkers in the assessment of cardiovascular risk. The traditional view of urate as principally an interferent in electrochemical measurement is now gradually being replaced with the realization that its measurement could serve as an invaluable secondary (if not primary) marker when monitoring conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Rather than attempting to wholly exclude urate electrochemistry, many strategies are being developed that can integrate the urate signal within the device architecture such that a range of biomarkers can be sequentially assessed. The present review has sought to rationalize the clinical importance that urate measurements could hold in future diagnostic applications - particularly within near patient testing contexts. The technologies harnessed for its detection and also those previously employed for its removal are reviewed with the aim of highlighting how the seemingly contrasting approaches are evolving to aid the development of new sensing devices for clinical analysis.