Uric Acid

1.      Uric Acid

 

Introduction

Uric acid levels are very labile and show day to day and seasonal variation in same person, also increased by emotional stress, total fasting, increased body weight, uric acid levels that do not correlate with the severity of kidney damage; urea and Creatinine are better.

Indications

Monitor chemotherapeutic treatment of neoplasms to avoid renal urate deposition with possible renal failure; monitor treatment of gout.  

 

Normal Levels
Males	Females	1 –3 years
4.0 – 8.6 mg/dL	3 – 5.9 mg/dL	1. 8 -5

Increased in

Renal failure; gout and also in 25% of relatives of patients of gout; asymptomatic hyperuricemia; leukemia, multiple myeloma, malignancies, lymphoma and other disseminated neoplasm and cancer chemotherapy; hemolytic and sickle cell anemia; toxemia of pregnancy; psoriasis (1/3 cases); drug use (barbiturates, methyl alcohol, salicylates, thiazides, furosemide, mitomycin, levodopa, phenytoin sodium); metabolic acidosis; diet (high protein, weight reduced diet). 

 

Others von Gierke's disease, lead poisoning, Down's syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, atherosclerosis and hypertension (serum uric acid is increased in 80% of patients with elevated serum triglycerides).

Decreased in

Drugs (adrenocorticotropic hormone [ ACTH], high dose salicylates, probenecid, cortisone); Wilson's disease, Fanconi's syndrome, celiac disease, xanthuria