High uric acid level

Definition

A high uric acid level is too much uric acid in the blood. Uric acid comes from the breakdown of purines. Purines are in certain foods, and the body forms them.

Blood carries uric acid to the kidneys. The kidneys pass most uric acid into the urine, which then leaves the body.

Gout or kidney stones can cause a high uric acid level. But most people with high uric acid levels don't have symptoms of either of these conditions or related issues.

Causes

A high uric acid level can be the result of the body making too much uric acid, not getting rid of enough of it or both.

Causes of a high uric acid level in the blood include:

• Diuretics
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Drinking too much soda or eating too much of foods that have fructose, a type of sugar
• Genetics also known as inherited traits
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Immune-suppressing medicines
• Kidney issues
• Leukemia
• Metabolic syndrome
• Niacin, also called vitamin B-3
• Obesity
• Polycythemia vera
• Psoriasis
• A purine-rich diet, high in foods such as liver, game meat, anchovies and sardines
• Tumor lysis syndrome, which is a rapid release of cells into the blood caused by certain cancers or by chemotherapy for those cancers

Healthcare professionals may check people having chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer for high uric acid levels.

When to see a doctor

A high uric acid level is not a disease. It doesn't always cause symptoms. But a healthcare professional might check uric acid levels for people who have an attack of gout or have a certain type of kidney stone.

If you think one of your medicines might be causing your high uric acid level, talk with your healthcare professional. But keep taking your medicines unless your healthcare professional tells you not to.

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