Uric acid is a substance that is synthesized in the body. It arises as a result of metabolic processes that help to remove unwanted and toxic substances from the body. Initially, they enter the bloodstream, and from there into the kidneys, from where they are excreted together with urine. However, sometimes malfunctions can occur in the body that lead to hyperuremia. You can read more about the causes of increased levels of uric acid in the blood and the treatment of this deviation in this article.
What is uric acid?
Uric acid is a chemical that is formed in the body during the breakdown of purines. Purines are produced in the body and are also found in certain foods and drinks. For example, most purines are found in liver, anchovies, mackerel, beans, and beer. Uric acid normally dissolves in the blood and travels to the kidneys, and from there it is excreted with urine. But if your body produces more uric acid than it can excrete, then this can lead to unpleasant symptoms and illnesses. High levels of urea in the blood are called hyperuricemia. It causes diseases such as gout, arthritis, kidney and joint diseases. Hyperuricemia is diagnosed in every fifth adult and is caused by adverse living conditions, food and air pollution.
The most dangerous in this disease is its asymptomatic course. Often, she does not manifest herself in any way. In some cases, the following symptoms may become an alarming messenger of impaired metabolism:
- muscle pain;
- intoxication;
- frequent urination;
- pain in the kidneys.
Since these symptoms are very blurry and do not indicate one specific disease, as a rule, the doctor prescribes an analysis for the level of uric acid in the blood, a urinalysis and an ultrasound scan.
Why you need to take an analysis
Your body is in constant motion 24 hours a day. When you sleep, your blood flows through the veins, the brain processes information, and the intestines digest dinner. Whenever something enters your mouth, dozens of vitamins, proteins, and other chemicals are released into your body that help process food and convert it into nutrients. If your blood uric acid level is normal, this may indicate that the body copes with all the functions and displays all the waste in time, to which puric acid can be added. But if this value is increased, then over time, because of this, various diseases can develop. The following ailments may be the cause of an increased level of uric acid in the blood:
- Gout. This is a form of arthritis in which crystals of uric acid form in the joints and cause acute pain. Most often, gout affects the toes, joints on the hands and knees. Gout often affects the range of motion of the joints, significantly limiting it.
- Stones in the kidneys. These small but heavy grains can form in the kidneys if the level of uric acid in the blood is excessively high. Signs of kidney stones include pain in the lower back, blood in the urine, and frequent urination.
- Chemotherapy can cause elevated uric acid levels. During treatment, many cells die in your body, which can make it harder to remove waste from the body. During treatment, uric acid levels must be periodically measured in order to avoid complications.
When is treatment needed?
If you have a high level of uric acid in your blood, this does not mean that you will definitely need treatment. If nothing bothers you, you do not experience pain and other unpleasant symptoms, then do not worry. But if you have gout attacks or lower back pain, then regular testing and treatment are mandatory. Some drugs may also be the cause of elevated uric acid levels in the blood, so be sure to discuss the medications you are taking with your doctor.
How is the analysis going?
A uric acid test is the most common blood sample taken in a couple of seconds. Venous blood is taken for analysis. It can be handed over both in public clinics and in private laboratories. What is the normal level of uric acid in the blood should be in the body of a healthy person? In men, this parameter is from 200 to 420 μmol / L, and for women - from 160 to 320. In older people, a value of up to 500 μmol / L is considered normal, and in children - 120-300. The causes of high uric acid levels in the blood can be different. This is an unhealthy diet, and serious diseases (pneumonia, psoriasis), and problems with the kidneys and liver. Therefore, each case must be considered individually.
Training
The cause of an increased level of uric acid in the blood may be improper preparation for analysis. It is very important to follow all the recommendations of doctors and exclude some products before donating blood. What is better to exclude before visiting the laboratory:
- Coffee, juice, tea.
- Alcohol.
- Smoking.
- Stress.
The most reliable results show analyzes taken in the morning after a 12-hour fast.
Risks and Complications
As a rule, the only side effect that you can feel after analyzing uric acid is a slight pain from an injection. But this is the worst thing you have to face. If the nurse does her job competently, you will not notice any bruising or bruising on your arm. But if disinfection was not properly performed, then irritation or infectious inflammation can occur at the puncture site. Experts also recommend that people with low blood pressure take a few pieces of dark chocolate with them - they will give energy after the procedure and help to recover faster and avoid dizziness.
Result and Decoding
Deviation is never a good signal. In this case, both increased and decreased values can cause poor health and various ailments. What is the normal level of uric acid in the blood for men and women? This value should not exceed 7 mg / dl for men and 5.7 mg / dl for women.
If the analysis showed values below 0.44 mmol / L (for women) or below 0.50 mmol / L (for men), then this condition is called hypuricemia. First of all, it can be caused by antigout drugs, which affect the synthesis of uric acid, reducing its amount. That is why the analysis must be done strictly after all the drugs are removed from the body. In addition, a decrease in MK levels can be caused by a decrease in tubular reabsorption, hepatitis and anemia, as well as hereditary factors. Lowering uric acid affects the body no less harmful than increasing it. Violation of purine metabolism can be a sign of many diseases, but often only a doctor can recognize them. Therefore, only an expert can prescribe an analysis, and interpret it together with other laboratory research methods.
An increase in uric acid above established standards indicates the inability of the kidneys to excrete uric acid, which is in the blood. This can happen due to chronic renal failure, pregnancy, alcoholism, certain types of cancer and gout. More specifically, other diagnostic methods are capable of establishing the causes of hyperuricemia.
Additional tests
What other studies are prescribed if an increased amount of uric acid has been detected in the blood?
- A urinalysis helps to identify inflammation in the kidneys and determine the cause of the violation of the withdrawal of MK.
- Ultrasound of the kidneys and ureters can show whether an injury or rupture caused the organ dysfunction.
- A general blood test with expanded decoding is able to show the state of the body as a whole - are there any inflammatory processes, as well as whether all processes are proceeding normally.
- Radiography eliminates pneumonia and tuberculosis.
- A biopsy is performed with gout and allows you to accurately determine the cause of the disease.
In the event that the doctor finds a more serious problem (for example, an inflammatory process of unknown etiology), then treatment should begin with its elimination, since it is likely that after this hyperuricemia will also disappear.
Reasons for deviation from the norm
High levels of uric acid in the blood may be due to the following reasons:
- Metabolic disease.
- Problems with the cardiovascular system.
- Vitamin B deficiency 12 .
- Overweight.
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Chemotherapy (during cancer).
- Impaired kidney function.
- Joint disease and inflammatory processes in them.
- Taking some drugs.
- Excessive consumption of certain foods.
- Pregnancy.
- Alcoholism.
- Injuries.
In order to differentiate the disease, doctors prescribe additional tests, as well as look at the patient’s history and medical history. What causes uric acid in the blood to be lowered? There are several factors:
- Drug therapy aimed at lowering uric acid in the blood.
- The first trimester of pregnancy.
- Lack of protein in the diet.
- Excessively active work of the organs of the excretory system.
- Genetic factors.
- Alcoholism.
In most cases, hypouricemia cannot be treated, as it is corrected by discontinuing medications.
Doctors Recommendations
An analysis of the level of uric acid in the blood should be given both in the direction with the accompanying symptoms, and for prophylactic purposes in cases where you have previously been diagnosed with diseases associated with impaired purine metabolism. If a patient has an increased content of uric acid in the blood, but does not have any other symptoms, then, as a rule, treatment is not prescribed. However, if a person has relatives suffering from gout or kidney stones, then the doctor may prescribe drugs that reduce uric acid to prevent similar diseases.
It is important to know that many drugs can cause an increase in uric acid levels in the blood. In particular, diuretic drugs can affect performance; Aspirin and other salicylates can have a similar effect. People who have gout or kidney stones should avoid foods high in purines, including some meats (kidneys and liver), sardines, and anchovies. Also, experts recommend abandoning the use of alcohol, since it slows the excretion of uric acid from the body. Some types of diets, rapid weight loss and intense physical activity can also increase the level of MK in the blood.
Diet
Not only drugs, but also the patient's lifestyle, have a great influence on lowering uric acid levels in the blood. Therefore, doctors are strongly advised to try to change their habits along with the prescribed treatment. In particular, daily physical activity can have a beneficial effect on the prognosis of the disease. It is also worth excluding fatty meat and fish from the diet, which have a large burden on the kidneys and liver. Naturally, it is better not to buy various marinades and pickles, as well as sausages, sausages, chips and other “harmful” foods. Everything in the body is interconnected, so you need to start from the very basics. Daily walks, physical activity and a balanced diet can not only help you get rid of the disease faster, but also prevent various complications.
The basis of the diet should be complex carbohydrates - cereals and pasta, but legumes (beans and peas) should be abandoned for a while. Dietary varieties of meat and poultry, dairy products, fish and eggs should also be included in the diet in sufficient quantities. They serve as sources of proteins and fats, which are necessary for the structure of new body cells. Vegetables and fruits provide enough fiber, which stimulates digestion and removes toxins from the intestines. Nutritionists advise eating 3 or 4 meals a day, as it has the least harm to the pancreas and helps keep blood sugar low.
Treatment
How to lower uric acid levels in the blood? This can be done with some medications. The first group helps to quickly remove unwanted substances from the body and thereby adjust the level of uric acid in the blood. The only disadvantage of this treatment is its limited effect. To be more precise, it only works until the moment the patient takes the drug. After drug withdrawal, hyperuricemia returns again if its root cause is not eliminated.
- "Benzobromarone".
- "Sulfinpyrazole."
- Allopurinol.
The second category of drugs includes drugs that inhibit the formation of uric acid in the liver, thereby reducing its value in the blood.
- "Diacarb."
- Mannitol.
- Lasix.
- "Furosemide."
Most of these drugs belong to the group of diuretic drugs, so they should be used with caution in patients with renal and hepatic insufficiency.
Summary
The content of uric acid in the blood should normally not exceed 0.42 mmol / L for men and 0.36 mmol / L for women. Its concentration is strictly regulated, and the deviation may indicate various inflammatory or pathological processes that occur in the body. The causes of high uric acid levels in the blood can be different. A blood test cannot be used as the main criterion for making a diagnosis, therefore, in addition to it, a urine test, a general blood test and ultrasound are often prescribed. Based on the data obtained, the doctor prescribes treatment that is aimed at eliminating the causes of hyperuricemia and maintaining a stable state of the body. In addition to medicines, experts usually advise to exclude certain foods from the diet and drink about 2-2.5 liters of water per day.