Uric acid is a waste product found in urine.
High uric acid levels can lead to symptoms and eventually conditions likegoutandkidney disease.
Most uric acid is produced naturally in your body.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
The rest is converted from substances in certain foods calledpurines.
What Uric Acid Level Indicates Hyperuricemia?
For assigned males, it is 2.5 to 7.0 mg/dL.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Most uric acid dissolves in the blood.
From there, it travels to thekidneysto be excreted in urine.
Aserum uric acid blood testmeasures the amount of uric acid in your blood.
Your uric acid level can also be checked with aurine sample.
Symptoms
Hyperuricemia itself is not a disease.
In some cases, it does not cause symptoms or problems.
Still, long-term hyperuricemia may lead to the development of uric acid crystals.
These can be problematic.
High uric acid levels can result in gout or kidney disease.
These are the two most common conditions related to hyperuricemia.
Gout
With gout, uric acidcrystalsbuild up in the joints.
This causes inflammation and the breakdown of joint cartilage.
This causeskidney stoneswhich can be very painful.
If left untreated, they can block the urinary tract and cause infections.
Symptoms of kidney stones include:
Kidney stones can also cause urinary tract infections (UTIs).
This is because they harbor bacteria.Symptoms of a UTI are similar to those of kidney stones.
There may also be fever or chills.
Over time, kidney stones and other forms of kidney damage can lead to chronic kidney disease.
This makes it more difficult to get rid of uric acid.
Untreated kidney disease can lead to kidney failure or loss of kidney function.
When hyperuricemia symptoms are present, a change in diet may help.
Medication is typically prescribed for cases of gout.
Diet Changes
Eating foodslow in purinesmay help regulate hyperuricemia levels.
This will help the kidneys flush out uric acid.
Is lemon good for uric acid?
Medicine
Urate-lowering therapies are the preferred medication for most individuals with gout.
Getting older and being an assigned male are the two major risk factors for this condition.
Hyperuricemia can lead to gout, when uric acid crystals build up in the joints.
It can also cause uric acid crystals to form in the kidneys.
Over time, this may lead to kidney disease.
A diet low in purines may help control uric acid levels.
Foods that are low in purines include milk, eggs, nuts, and citrus fruits.
If you could’t control your hyperuricemia with diet, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Vargas-Santos AB, Neogi T.Management of gout and hyperuricemia in CKD.Am J Kidney Dis.
2019;5(2):27. doi:10.11648/j.ejcbs.20190502.11
U.S. National Library of Medicine.Kidney Stones.
Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis.
2016 Aug;8(4):145-59. doi: 10.1177/1759720X16646703.
Epub 2016 May 2.
PMID: 27493693; PMCID: PMC4959626.
Arthritis Foundation.Gout Diet: Do’s and Dont’s.
Diffen.Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism.
