What is a high uric acid level in blood?

Have you ever heard the phrase “too much of a good thing”? Well, when it comes to uric acid in your blood, that couldn’t be more true. I know what you’re thinking, “What the heck is uric acid and why do I care if there’s too much of it?” Don’t fret my friend, I’m here to break it down for you in terms even your grandma could understand.

The Basics: What is Uric Acid?

Uric acid isn’t just something that appears when we get sick or eat too many cheeseburgers (although both those things aren’t great for our bodies). It’s actually naturally produced by our body as a waste product from the breakdown of purines (which are found in high-protein foods like meat and seafood).

For most people, their kidneys do an awesome job removing excess uric acid from their system through pee-pee time. But sometimes they can become overwhelmed with this task (just like me trying to clean my room before my mom gets home) which causes extra uric acid to circulate throughout the bloodstream like a group of teens who got kicked out after curfew.

Now let’s move on to what happens when there’s too much circulating.

Hyperuricemia: Too Much of a Good Thing

When levels of uric acid exceed normal limits (i.e., 7 mg/dL), hyperuricemia occurs. This funny word simply means “high levels of urate crystals” – which create problems because they tend not want to stay dissolved but prefer sticking together forming big crystals!

The accumulation would cause symptoms such as joint pain/swelling (gout) and kidney stones (ouch!) — neither one makes me feel pleasant just typing them out right now (shivers).

On top all pretty unpleasant external symptoms, high uric acid levels can lead to worsening underlying heart disease and hypertension fiascos (which no one wants anything to do with).

Now that we’ve talked about what it is and why too much is a bad thing, let’s talk about some of the common causes.

Causes: Fast Food & Genetics

There are two main factors that contribute to hyperuricemia:

Diet

As mentioned earlier in our crash-course on purines, certain foods have higher levels of this bacterial compound which leads to increased production of (you guessed it) — Uric Acid!

Here’s a quick list of some guilty pleasures (high-purine rich food types) you might want to moderate or avoid if you’re aiming for low uric acid levels:

  • Organ meats (like liver)
  • Beef (and meat soups)
  • Foie gras (if feeling fancy)
  • Game meats (deer jerky anyone?)
  • Shellfish.

Genetics

For those MVPs out there who eat healthy but still somehow end up with high uric acid numbers –– family history/history with gout/having impaired kidney function all may play a role in higher than normal UA count! Life can be so unfair sometimes huh?

Our genetics essentially dictate how efficiently our kidneys break down this compound. Less effective filters –> more lingering toxins (just like drinking hunch punch at college parties ––please don’t drink hunch punch)

Alright now for the final section where we tell you how exactly your doc will determine your serum urate levels.

Diagnosis: Blood Tests

At first doctor’s visit, after relaying my symptoms (i.e., swelling joint resembling baseball mitt) and getting x-rays taken I eventually got referred by my PCP (Primary Care Physician) or GP(General Practitioner)to meet with specialist— (Rheumatologists or nephrologists).

The gold standard of diagnosis for high uric levels is via a blood test known as “serum urate test”. This measures the amount of uric acid present in your bloodstream.

But which levels are problematic? Let’s break it down:

  • A level higher than 7 mg/dL in males and females
  • Males have exorbitantly high risk (>10%)of gout if their pincer ranges past 9mg/dL

Once we know what these measurements look like, addressing the root cause—via eliminating trigger foods or initiating medication routes (under close medical supervision!) –can be implemented.

Treatment: Lifestyle Changes & Medications

Depending on severity (and personal goals) there are multiple steps that can be taken to reduce UA number including lifestyle changes and pharmaceutical intake.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Our bodies change constantly depending on the environment we put them in (sorta like chameleons). Here are some gems advice altering your current routine:

Drink enough water!

Not getting adequate watery goodness could lead to build up as too little water leads to more concentrated urine increases chances of nucleation formation from insoluble elements (like sodium sulfate)! So drink up!

Changing dietary intake

Diet addition/removals like low fat dairy factors (they may help lower serum UA numbers by almost two-fold!), low-purine vegetarian meals called upon us vegetarians & vegan friends (yeaaa!!!) to aid digestion furthers a positive impact

MEDICATIONS!

Let’s say you’ve made all those lifestyle changes but still somehow end up sucking at passing quantity effectively, our doctors have options available ranging from Urate-lowering therapies like allopurinol-febuxostat-probenecid-to LESINURAD(an inhibitor class medication approved back in 2015).

As for side effects, the drugs mentioned above have a myriad different types of side-dooblers (I’m no doctor, some are common while others vary) for instance:

  • Allopurinol/febuxostat probably stimulates allergic reactions and hepatotoxicity.
  • Probenecid leads to possible stone formation/kidney injuries
  • Lesinurad is known to mess with metabolic acidosis

Reach out your medical provider & explore the best option personalized to your body stats/symptoms! Always confide in experts as this isn’t amateur hour.

Conclusion

Well folks, there you have it. Hopefully after reading my article you’ve gained a new understanding about what high uric acid levels are and how they can affect our bodies (’cause sometimes we need somebody else doing the Googling so we don’t have to).

Remember that hyperuricemia can happen due to genetic reasons or even snack choices like too much red meat so keep tabs on both – careful moderation never hurt anyone right?

Feeling any symptoms bring questions? Don’t shy away from seeking help as afraid equals stuck—all in line keeps us well cared for!

Stay safe friends.

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