A high uric acid level, or hyperuricemia, is an excess of uric acid in your blood. Uric acid is produced during the breakdown of purine, a substance found in many foods. Once produced, uric acid is carried in your blood and passes through your kidneys, where most of it leaves your body when you urinate.A high uric acid level may result in attacks of gout, but not everyone who has high uric acid gets gout, and not everyone with gout has high uric acid. Most of the uric acid is filtered out by the kidneys and passes out of the body in urine. A small amount passes out of the body in stool. But if too much uric acid is being produced or if the kidneys are not able to remove it from the blood normally, the level of uric acid in the blood increases. High levels of uric acid in the blood can cause solid crystals to form within joints. This causes a painful condition called gout camera.gif.
If gout remains untreated, these uric acid crystals can build up in the joints and nearby tissues, forming hard lumpy deposits called tophi. High levels of uric acid may also cause kidney stones or kidney failure. Why It Is Done A uric acid blood test is done to: Help diagnose gout. Check to see if kidney stones may be caused by high uric acid levels in the body. Check to see if medicine that decreases uric acid levels is working. Check uric acid levels in people who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy.These treatments destroy cancer cells that then may leak uric acid into the blood.
How To Prepare:
You do not need to do anything before you have this test. Some medicines can change the results of this test. Be sure to tell your doctor about all the nonprescription and prescription medicines you take. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results may mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form.
How It Is Done:
The health professional who takes a sample of your blood will: Wrap an elastic band around your upper arm to stop the flow of blood. This makes the veins below the band larger so it is easier to put a needle into the vein. Clean the needle site with alcohol. Put the needle into the vein. More than one needle stick may be needed. Attach a tube to the needle to fill it with blood. Remove the band from your arm when enough blood is collected. Put a gauze pad or cotton ball over the needle site as the needle is removed. Put pressure on the site and then put on a bandage. How It Feels The blood sample is taken from a vein in your arm. An elastic band is wrapped around your upper arm. It may feel tight. You may feel nothing at all from the needle, or you may feel a quick sting or pinch.
Diets to control Uric Acid:
Purines are organic compounds, which create uric acid on breakdown in the body. While your body needs uric acid for blood vessel health and other processes, a buildup of excess uric acid can lead to gout, diabetes and even cardiovascular disease. Purines consumed in the diet account for about 50 percent of the uric acid produced in the body. Therefore, avoiding foods high in purines or following a modified purine diet may help improve uric acid levels.
1-Chocolate and cocoa are low in purines and thus, help lowering uric acid.
2-Restrict meat/fish/poultry intake
3-Avoid alcohol and processed foods
4-Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day
5-Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
6-Restrict organ meats such as liver, kidney, heart
7-Have fresh cherries, strawberries, blueberries and other red-blue berries
8-Bananas are good for those with high uric acid
9-Tomatoes help remove toxins, especially uric acid, from the system.
10-Include vegetables including cabbage and parsley into your diet.
11-Foods high in bromelain like pineapple also help lowering uric acid.
12-Foods high in vitamin C like red cabbage, red bell peppers, tangerines, mandarins, oranges, potatoes reduce uric acid levels by increasing its excretion in the urine.
13-Consuming low-fat dairy products and a moderate amount of protein also helps.
15-Have complex carbohydrates like breads and cereals
16-Exercise regularly
17-Those with high uric acid can also have coffee and tea.
18-Being overweight appears to be the most common determining factor for excess uric acid production. Therefore, it is very important to maintain a healthy weight. Consider the calorific value of the foods that do not contain purines and aim to eat a healthy well-balanced diet. Fatty foods such as butter and cream should be avoided. When you begin to lose weight, the kidneys are more able to eliminate uric acid and in some cases, the production of uric acid by the liver is also reduced.
Normal Level Of Uric Acid
Normal values range between 3.5 and 7.2 mg/dL.
Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.
The example above shows the common measurement range for results for these tests. Some laboratories use different measurements or may test different specimens.
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