Increased Uric Acid: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

• Have you ever heard about uric acid levels?
• What can happen if you have an increased uric acid level?
• Have you ever thought that symptoms such as the need to pee more often or pain while peeing can be related to elevated uric acid levels and can cause health complications?

If not, don’t worry. Today’s blog reveals helpful information about uric acid, what causes an increase in uric acid levels, potential symptoms, and how increased uric acid levels can be treated. Let's get started. 

What is uric acid?

The normal body waste product formed with the breakdown of purines (chemicals) is called uric acid. Besides, its formation also occurs in the body when DNA is broken down. Purines are found in many foods, such as shellfish, liver, and alcohol. Eating too many high-purine foods can increase your uric acid levels. 

Additionally, most uric acid dissolves in the blood, reaching the kidney to be excreted in urine. Nevertheless, hyperuricemia or high uric acid levels are formed if your body contains too much uric acid. 

Hyperuricemia causes gout, a painful form of arthritis that builds up in the kidneys and forms kidney stones. 

Are you getting worried? Don’t be. Hyperuricemia is treatable. Discuss your condition with your healthcare expert and make healthy lifestyle changes, such as drinking more water or eating a balanced diet, to lower your uric acid levels or treat any symptoms you are experiencing. 

What are the causes of increased uric acid levels?

Do you know that one in five people is diagnosed with increased uric acid levels? In fact, men and people who are assigned male at birth (AMAB) are more likely to have gout than women and people who are assigned female at birth (AFAB). 

Hence, it is essential to know the main causes of increased uric acid levels (hyperuricemia). As stated above, eating foods that contain high purine content can raise uric acid levels in the blood, including: 

Red meat, such as lamb, pork, and beef.	Organ meats like liver, brains, and intestines.	Seafood such as salmon fish, shrimp, lobster, and sardines.	Alcohol, especially non-alcoholic beer.	High-fructose corn syrup foods and drinks include desserts, candies, canned fruits, and soups.
Diuretics	Immunosuppressants.	Certain chemotherapies, such as those for leukemia, psoriasis, and inherited disorders, such as glucose-6 phosphatase deficiency.
Certain health conditions, such as high levels of lactate in the blood, acidic blood due to lack of insulin, obesity, and gestational hypertension.

What are the main symptoms of increased uric acid levels?

Potential symptoms of increased uric acid levels are likely to appear when conditions like gout or kidney stones occur. 

Symptoms of a gout attack in one of the joints may include: 

1. Stiffness 
2. Swelling in only one joint in the body
3. Discoloration or redness
4. Uncommon and intense pain 
5. It feels as if the joint is hot 
6. A light feather touch causes pain 

Symptoms of kidney stones include: 

1. Blood in your pee
2. Fevers or chills
3. Urinating more than normal
4. Smelly pee 
5. Pain while peeing
6. Nausea or vomiting 

Nevertheless, if increased uric acid levels are left untreated, this can cause permanent damage to your bones, ligaments, joints, and tendons. 

The link between high uric and other health conditions: 

A study reveals that increased uric acid levels can also be linked to other health conditions, such as kidney stones or kidney disease. Let’s discover it in detail. 

• Increased uric acid levels and kidney disease: High uric acid levels can cause urate crystals that collect in the urinary tract and cause kidney stones. 
• Increased uric acid levels and heart disease: Elevated levels of uric acid can cause cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR), water pill use, or hyperinsulinemia. Additionally, according to the Journal of the American Heart Association, uric acid may develop an irregular rhythm, causing blood clots, stroke, or heart failure. 
• Increased uric acid levels and high blood pressure: Elevated uric acid levels may also cause high BP. Your doctor may recommend a urate-lowering therapy to reduce the risk of CVD, or it may also act as a marker of other abnormalities.
• Increased uric acid levels and diabetes: Type 2 diabetes can make you overweight. As a result, your kidneys fail to remove uric acid from your blood, and thus, uric acid continues to accumulate and cause gout. 
• Increased uric acid levels and fatty liver disease: Having higher serum uric acid levels (NAFLD) in the blood is likely to cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 
• Increased uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome: Patients with metabolic syndrome will likely have increased serum uric acid levels.

How are high uric acid levels diagnosed?

Your healthcare expert may suggest a blood test (serum urate test), urine test, or both to measure the levels of uric acid in your blood. If you pass a kidney stone in your urine or have it surgically removed, it will be detected in the blood test. 

Book a blood test to detect uric acid levels from Redcliffe Labs! 

Healthy India Ki Trusted Lab—Redcliffe Labs offers blood tests, preventive health checks, and a wide range of other services for patients' convenience. 

If suggested, download the Redcliffe Labs mobile app or call to book a blood test to measure your uric acid levels at the best available rates. The phlebotomist will arrive at your doorstep with a blood sample collection kit. Get the most accurate reports, typically within a given deadline. 

Step-by-step information on booking a blood test online from Redcliffe Labs. 

1. Visit the official Redcliffe Labs website: https://redcliffelabs.com/.
2. Browse or search for the specific test you need. 
3. Add the test to the cart. 
4. Complete the payment process online.
5. You will receive confirmation through SMS and WhatsApp.

Procedure for a blood test for uric acid levels

The expert will use a specialized syringe with a needle to collect a small amount of blood from your vein. Then, he will send your blood sample to Redcliff Labs for an accurate diagnosis of your uric acid levels. 

Normal acid levels for adult males are 0-8.5 mg/dL or 0.24-0.51 mmol/L, and for adult females, 2.7-7.3 mg/dL or 0.16-0.43 mmol/L. In children, the range is 2.5-5.5 mg/dL or 0.12-0.32 mmol/L. 

Note: The range for normal acid levels may vary depending on the lab, age, and sex. Discuss your uric acid levels report with your healthcare provider to understand your specific test results. 

Also read: https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/lab-test/uric-acid-normal-range-need-for-uric-acid-test/

Procedure for a urine test for uric acid levels

If a healthcare provider suggests a urine test to check your uric acid levels, you can book an appointment with a phlebotomist. The phlebotomist will come to your place to collect the urine sample at a given time. 

Precautions while collecting a urine sample: 

• Before the test, make sure you drink a lot of water. 
• Wash your intimate area before peeing. 
• Do not include feces in the urine collection. 
• Use a clean urine collection device for accurate lab evaluation. 

Other tests to detect high uric acid levels

Your healthcare provider may also suggest other tests to confirm increased uric acid levels in the blood, especially when he suspects a gout attack. Consequently, a sample of your joint fluid will be collected and analyzed in a specialized lab. 

Additionally, the practitioner may also perform certain tests on your joints, such as: 

• Ultrasound 
• CT scans 
• X-rays 

What is the treatment for hyperuricemia?

The treatment for increased uric acid levels depends on individual symptoms and test reports. Keeping a few instructions in mind will surely help you see the desired results, including: 

• Avoid or limit high-purine foods and drinks and switch to a low-purine diet. 
• Maintain a healthy diet
• Follow an exercise regimen. 

Additionally, your healthcare provider may also suggest medicines to treat gout or kidney stones. 

Gout Treatment

For gout treatment, your healthcare provider may suggest using a combination of medicines, such as colchicine and corticosteroids, to help lower your uric acid levels. 

Kidney Treatment 

Too large kidney stones may block your pee or cause an infection. Hence, your healthcare provider may suggest surgical removal of the kidneys. 

Drinking water is essential as it may help eventually pass out kidney stones in your pee. 

Prevention 

Talk to your doctor about what foods to eat and avoid during hyperuricemia. Your practitioner is the right point of contact to ask how often certain high-purine foods or drinks are okay. 

Foods that should be avoided with increased uric acid levels are: 

• Purine-rich foods: Maintain a low-purine diet to manage increased uric acid levels and its complications, such as gout. Avoid foods such as sweetbreads, kidneys, and liver due to their high purine content, which also contributes to high blood levels. 
• Sugar: Avoid products that are high in sugar, such as corn syrup, table sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. Instead, read labels before buying products. 
• Sugary beverages: To reduce uric acid levels, replace sugary drinks such as soda, fresh fruit juices, and juices with fiber-rich smoothies. 
• Seafood: Limit or avoid seafood such as lobsters, mussels, and sardines. 

Also read: 

https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/urology-2/uric-acid-treatment-at-home-natural-remedies/

Conclusion

It is challenging to detect increased uric acid levels on your own, and until the gout or kidney stones cause pain or other symptoms, you can’t know about their existence. In this condition, making small changes to your lifestyle could help. You can eat a nutrient-rich, balanced diet and avoid high-purine foods to reduce the risk of high uric acid levels. 

Additionally, talk to your healthcare provider if your pee hurts, smells bad, or you are experiencing new symptoms. He will suggest tests, treatments, and prevention measures that suit your underlying medical condition.