uric acid level |What is the normal level of uric acid?

What is the normal level of uric acid?



Tags:

    uric acid
    kidney stones
    drop
    hyperuricemia
    purines
    gouty tophi

Contents [hide]

    1 Tests to detect uric acid in blood
    2 Elevated results of uric acid
    3 Tests to detect uric acid in urine
        3.1 Mode in which the test is performed
        3.2 What is the test for?

Uric acid is a chemical compound that is produced when the body degrades the purines. These substances can originate in body cells or enter our body through certain foods and drinks, which is why you can try different home remedies to lower uric acid levels before prescribing medications. Usually a normal level of uric acid is given, since it is diluted in the blood that goes to the kidneys and comes out with the urine. But in case of excessive production or that the body can not eliminate enough, high levels of uric acid -hyperuricemia- can occur and lead to kidney or joint diseases such as gout.

Hyperuricemia does not have to cause symptoms, so it can be discovered through a blood or urine test.

The normal values ​​of uric acid in blood are between 3.5 and 7.2 mg / dl, but this will depend on the laboratory that performs the examination and make the report with the results of the same, because the exposed refers to common measurements of the results of specific tests on this topic. Each laboratory will use its measurements or will evaluate the samples in a special way, although always within parameters as indicated.

First we will analyze everything related to uric acid tests in blood and then we will address the urine test.
Tests to detect uric acid in the blood

A normal blood test is performed, extracting it from the arm, specifically from the inside of the elbow or from the area of ​​the outer hand, that is, from the back.

As in any analytic, you should not eat or drink for 4 hours before it, unless the doctor has specified more time. If the patient is taking some type of medication, he may have to leave it some time before the test so that it does not interfere with the results of the test. Therefore, this point will be treated by the patient before with his doctor and he should not take the medication without doing so.

The blood test is aimed at measuring the levels of uric acid in blood, because if it is very high, it can cause kidney diseases and gout.

Do you know that with BonoMedico you can go to more than 2,500 specialists for only € 39 per consultation? Without monthly fees, you only pay if you go to the doctor. Check here how it works.

The doctor can ask people who have been or are going to be treated with some type of chemotherapy to undergo the test. This will also happen if the patient has lost weight very quickly, because this can cause an increase in uric acid levels.
High results of uric acid

Hyperuricemia, that is, elevated levels of uric acid above normal, may be due to the person:

    Take a lot of alcohol.
    He suffers from diseases such as diabetes, acidosis, gout, hypoparathyroidism, leukemia, nephrolithiasis, polycythemia vera, kidney failure or medullary cystic kidney disease.
    He suffers from the side effects of chemotherapy.

He suffers from lead poisoning (this can occur when inhaling lead-based paint).
    She suffers from toxemia of pregnancy (this is when the future breast has hypertension and protein in the urine from the fourth month of pregnancy).
    Exercise excessively
    Take a diet rich in purines (seafood, red meat, blue fish, etc.).

But, in addition to these uric acid risk factors, uric acid levels may be below the normal average for the following reasons:

    Fanconi syndrome (is a kidney disease).
    Wilson's disease (it is a hereditary disease that causes too much copper in the tissues of the body, damaging the nervous system and the liver).
    Low purine diet.
    Syndrome of inadequate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIHAD).

Tests to detect uric acid in urine

So far we have exposed the levels of uric acid in blood and now we will do the same but with the urine test.

In general, a normal value of uric acid will be present in the urine if it goes from 250 to 750 milligrams every 24 hours (the patient will be collecting their urine for a whole day).

As in the case of the blood test, each laboratory will have normal parameters that will vary very little between them, but the patient should not worry about this, since the doctor will be in charge of interpreting the results.
Mode in which the test is performed

In order to correctly detect the uric acid values ​​in urine, the patient must collect samples of this for 24 hours. The doctor will tell you how to do it so that the result is as reliable as possible. Therefore, the doctor will ask to stop taking, temporarily, any medicine that may interfere with the examination, so the patient will first explain and detail if he is taking any medication and what it is. Gout medicine, diuretics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and similar drugs should be stopped before testing.

In addition, alcohol, vitamin C and contrast media for x-rays - what the patient takes orally to perform these, such as barium - can alter the results of the tests.

For the rest, the examination is done only with urination and there is no discomfort.
What is the test for?

This is mostly used to help find the cause of that increase in uric acid levels in the blood. It is a second way to check this. In addition, it is also useful to control people suffering from gout and that the doctor prescribes the best medicine to lower and control the levels of uric acid in the blood.

In addition, this analysis will help to check whether this level of uric acid is so high is causing kidney stones.

If you have a health problem, remember that with BonoMedico you can go to more than 2,500 specialists for only € 39 per consultation. Check here how it works.

In case of a result of high level of uric acid in the urine, it will be because the person suffers from certain diseases whose main characteristic is this value as:

    Certain cancers that metastasize.
    Rhabdomyolysis (disease that causes the breakdown of muscle fibers).
    Disorders in the bone marrow (myeloproliferative disorder).
    Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (the body is not able to process the purine).
    Fanconi syndrome or gout.

In some cases, only a third of those with these indices suffer from it because they have a diet rich in purines.

The carrying out of this analysis does not involve any pain or risk for the patient. Both the blood test and the urine test help determine why the person does not have a normal uric acid index -both in the blood and in the urine- and, thus, provide essential information to the doctor, who should have this information to perform the best possible treatment in case these levels have caused in the person some disease -renal or of the joints, like gout-.

Warning: this page contains articles of medical and health content but at no time should be taken as an exclusive guide to a health problem. For any doubt about a health problem you should go to the specialist. This is not a doctor's office.