Uric Acid Urine Test Information

Content

• Trending On Medicinenet
• Causes And Risk Factors
• Emmitt Smith Gains Ground On Gout
• What Increases The Risk Of Gout?

This condition, called asymptomatic hyperuricemia, is fairly common. It is generally thought that this condition does not require any follow up or treatment unless the affected person is at a high risk of complications. People with family members who have had gout, kidney stones or kidney disease due to hyperuricemia may receive treatment even though they are not experiencing symptoms. The uric acid blood test is used to detect high levels of this compound in the blood in order to help diagnose gout. The test is also used to monitor uric acid levels in people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer. Rapid cell turnover from such treatment can result in an increased uric acid level.

Home remedies for an acute gout attack include drinking plenty of water. Over-the-counter NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium , can be used when there are no contra-indications, such as decreased kidney function or stomach ulcers. Gout attacks have multiple risk factors that cause uric acid levels to rise. This page explains what uric acid is, how hyperuricemia develops, its association with gout and other diseases, and how to lower uric acid levels in the blood. It’s normal for everyone to have at least some uric acid in their bodies. As cells die, they release substances called purines, which are also found in some foods.

Trending On Medicinenet

In the same study, the authors showed that uric acid values were closely associated with occurrence of advanced-exudative form of AMD, along with albumin values. Other than a blood test and joint fluid tests, X-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans may be used to confirm a diagnosis. If you have questions about the uric acid blood test, speak with your doctor. In birds and reptiles, and in some desert dwelling mammals , uric acid also is the end-product of purine metabolism, but it is excreted in feces as a dry mass. This involves a complex metabolic pathway that is energetically costly in comparison to processing of other nitrogenous wastes such as urea or ammonia, but has the advantages of reducing water loss and preventing dehydration. The Dalmatian dog has a genetic defect in uric acid uptake by the liver and kidneys, resulting in decreased conversion to allantoin, so this breed excretes uric acid, and not allantoin, in the urine.

Causes And Risk Factors

The “gold standard” to diagnose an acute attack of gout is to remove some fluid from the joint with a needle and syringe, and examine this under a microscope for uric acid crystals. If this cannot be done, certain typical symptoms and signs seen together are highly suggestive of gout, and a diagnosis can be made. Joint ultrasound or dual energy CT scan images show gout very well. If you have many large tophi, your provider may prescribe pegloticase, also known as Krystexxa®, given by intravenous infusion every two weeks to more quickly dissolve gout crystals.

But it can build up in the blood and form painful, spiky crystals in your joints. This may happen if the body is making too much uric acid or if the kidneys are having a hard time filtering it out. The results from both animal and human studies strongly implicate uric acid as a factor in the onset of essential hypertension in some individuals and as a potential contributor to the progression of renal injury.

In very rare cases, allopurinol and febuxostat can cause severe skin reactions that can be life threatening. Symptoms may include red, blistered, or peeling skin; red or sore eyes; fever; and sores in your throat, mouth, or nose. The following possible side effects of medicines for gout are listed by the U.S. Just because a side effect is possible does not mean you will have it. Add certain foods or drinks—such as low-fat dairy products, cherries, and coffee—to your diet. Side effects happen about as often with allopurinol (Zyloprim®) as with febuxostat (Uloric®).

Replace purine-rich foods with foods low in purines, such as eggs, fruit, cheese, nuts, and vegetables other than legumes . A ketogenic diet reduces the ability of the kidney to excrete uric acid because of competition for transport between uric acid and ketones . For this test, 24-hour urine is collected to measure the amount of uric acid in the urine and evaluate how the body produces and eliminates uric acid . Uric acid is the last step in the breakdown pathway of purines.

Urate crystals can form when you have high levels of uric acid in your blood. Your body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines — substances that are found naturally in your body. High uric acid level can be managed and flares in the joint pain controlled and stopped with a long-term program of disease management. Your doctor can prescribe medications that dissolve the deposits of uric acid crystals. A lifelong urate-lowering therapy may be needed, with medications that prevent gout flares and ultimately dissolve crystals that are already in your body.

Most uric acid dissolves in the blood, then travels to the kidneys to be excreted in urine. Normally, women maintain a stable serum urate level between 1.5 to 6.0 mg/dL, while for men it is between 2.5 to 7.0 mg/dL. Uric acid is formed when proteins in the food we eat, called purines, are broken down. Therefore, there has been a great deal of interest in dietary management of gout by avoiding high-purine (purine-rich) foods.

Some people overproduce uric acid due to a genetic defect in an enzyme in the purine breakdown pathway which leads to overactivity of this pathway. Since cells contain DNA, and DNA contains purines, anything that increases the breakdown of cells in the body can lead to more uric acid and gout. For example, if a patient is receiving chemotherapy for a tumor, as the treatment kills the tumor cells a gout attack or kidney stone can develop as a result of the breakdown of the purines from those cells.

First Known Use Of Uric Acid

Making changes to your diet and lifestyle, such as losing weight, limiting alcohol, eating less purine-rich food , may help prevent future attacks. Changing or stopping medications associated with hyperuricemia may also help. They are also found in many foods such as liver, shellfish, and alcohol.

Can we eat Chana in high uric acid?

Avoid having red meat, shell fish, mince meat, meat extracts and organ meats. You should also avoid certain types of fish such as sardine, maceral and roe. Another category that should be avoided is whole pulses. Do not have masur, rajmah, chana and chole.

If you have symptoms of gout, you need to test a uric acid blood test, which measures how much uric acid you have in your blood. Most of the time, a high uric acid level occurs when your kidneys don't eliminate uric acid efficiently. Things that may cause this slow-down in the removal of uric acid include rich foods, being overweight, having diabetes, taking certain diuretics and drinking too much alcohol. Other less common causes are a diet high in purine-containing items or your body producing too much uric acid. If too much uric acid stays in the body, a condition called hyperuricemia will occur.

You may also like:

5 Tips To Keep A Gout Attack At Bay

Home Treatments & Remedies For Gout Pain And Uric Acid

The Pain And Swelling Of Gout Can Be Easily Treated

Gout Recipes

5 Tips For Preventing A Gout Flare

Role Of Exercise In Arthritis Management

The Pain And Swelling Of Gout Can Be Easily Treated