What Happens If Uric Acid Is High?
Medically Reviewed By
Dr Divya Rohra
Written By Meenakshi
on Mar 30, 2023
Last Edit Made By Meenakshi
on Mar 18, 2024
If you are on this blog, you must have heard about uric acid before – haven’t you? Well, let us refresh your memory.
Uric Acid is nothing but a waste product produced in the body. Generally, the kidneys eliminate them on their own through your urine. But problems start when the kidney fails to get rid of it.
Does that mean your health is at risk? Or do you have a certain illness? Hold on! We’ve got answered all your queries. In this blog, we’ll explore high uric acid levels, symptoms, causes, what happens when they are high, and what can be done to bring them within the normal range. So, let’s dive into the information.
High Uric Acid Levels – A Brief
High Uric Acid Levels occur when your body either produces too much uric acid or fails to get rid of it from the body, or both. But what causes the levels to rise in the body? Let’s discover that in the points mentioned below.
- Genetics: Yes, your genetics might be responsible for high uric acid levels. And your doctor may check it through a diagnostic test and provide treatment accordingly.
- Obesity: Excess body weight is another factor that contributes to elevated uric acid levels as it increases insulin resistance and decreases uric acid exertion.
- Drinking Alcohol: If you are too much into drinking alcohol, chances are high that your uric acid levels might be high, as it raises the uric acid production in the blood and restrict its exertion out of your system.
- Poor Eating Choices: A diet with food that influences purine in the body is another cause of high uric acid levels in the blood. And getting tested and identifying the cause helps doctors alter your diet accordingly.
- Dehydration: Whether you accept it or not but it is a fact as small as not drinking enough fluid can also lead to too much uric acid levels.
- Cancer Treatment: Apart from the above conditions, specific cancer treatments or therapies can also increase uric acid levels in the body.
In short, the cause can be anything. Getting tested in time is crucial to take control of the increasing levels and balance them. Hence, your healthcare provider may observe your symptoms and suggest a Uric Acid Test to measure uric acid levels help you prevent complications.
But what happens if you leave high uric acid levels untreated? Could it be a threat to your health? Well, find out the points below.
- Gout: A gout is a form of arthritis that occurs when uric acid crystals build up in the joints & tissues, causing intense pain, swelling & redness in the affected joints. It causes problems with the knees, ankles, and toe joints. Too much uric acid levels increase one’s risk of developing gout.
- Kidney Stones: One major cause of kidney stones is high uric acid levels. Hence, having too much of it in the body can lead to a buildup of a stone in the kidney, causing pain or aching in the lower back, nausea, pain while urinating, blood in the urine, difficulty urinating, foul-smelling urine, and more. Diagnosing the problem in time is the only way to take control of the condition and avoid complications.
- Chronic Kidney Disease: Our kidney is usually responsible for filtering waste from the body, including uric acid. When kidneys are damaged, and you fail to eliminate them from your system, it elevates their levels in the body while interrupting other kidney functions.
- Cardiovascular Disease: According to some studies, high serum uric acid levels increase the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and other heart-related ailments. Thus, getting tested in time is prominent to avoid the problem.
- Metabolic Syndrome: High uric acid levels are usually associated with hyperuricemia, further connected with metabolic syndrome. It is a group of conditions that elevates your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Before the conditions mentioned above raises your concern, it is essential to understand that high uric acid levels do not always cause the above problems but increase your risks of developing them. However, in one way or another, if left untreated, it can cause health problems. Hence, measuring & monitoring uric acid levels in time is essential to reduce health complications.
Does your body give any sign when the uric acid production exceeds in the body or not getting rid of it?
Symptoms Of High Uric Acid Levels:
In general, high uric acid levels do not always cause symptoms, and only 1/3 of people with hyperuricemia, but symptoms when levels have been out of range for too long, start to cause some visible warning signs, like:
- Pain or swelling in the joints
- Joints that warm to the touch
- Discoloration around the joints
- Fever chills or unexplained fatigue
- Notice inflammation in the joints
Besides diagnosing the condition in time, it is essential to take several other measures to keep the levels balanced.
Tips To Manage High Uric Acid Levels:
- Shed Some Extra Pound: As we have read before, obesity contributes to high uric acid levels. Hence, losing weight (if obese) is essential to kick away the problem and manage the condition better.
- Watch Your Diet: Another effective way to balance uric acid levels is to watch what you eat, as eating food rich in purine can influence them. Hence, having a balanced diet is essential to keep their levels balanced.
- Have More Water: Fuel your body with the right amount with the right choice of fluid to eliminate toxins, reduce deposits and banish problems. Make sure to drink 8-10 glasses of water daily to keep yourself hydrated and healthy.
- Manage Insulin Levels: High uric acid drastically increases the risk of diabetes and causes unmanaged insulin levels, which, if left unaddressed, can lead to severe complications.
- Alleviate Stress: Moreover, managing stress is the key to managing elevated uric acid levels in the body. It is the easiest and most effective way to prevent infection risks and keep your body healthy.
Like any other disease, the key to preventing high uric acid levels is to follow safety measures, switch to a healthy diet, exercise well & incorporate an active routine in your life. Moreover, you should know the significance of timely diagnosis to sail through complications and keep your health in check. Your doctor may suggest Uric Acid Blood Test or Uric Acid Urine Test evaluate the condition and initiate the treatment.So, get tested today with Redcliffe Labs. Being the fastest-growing diagnostic centre and leading Omnichannel Pan India Diagnostic Service Provider, we serve our customers. Book a Uric Acid Test in 1 minute to get tested comfortably. You can call our executives to discuss queries related to test booking or uric acid test price.