Why would a doctor order a uric acid test?
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Why would a doctor order a uric acid test?
A uric acid test is most often used to: Help diagnose gout. Help find the cause of frequent kidney stones. Monitor the uric acid level of people undergoing certain cancer treatments.
What does a uric acid test tell you?
A uric acid blood test, also known as a serum uric acid measurement, determines how much uric acid is present in your blood. The test can help determine how well your body produces and removes uric acid. Uric acid is a chemical produced when your body breaks down foods that contain organic compounds called purines.
What will happen if you have high uric acid?
If too much uric acid stays in the body, a condition called hyperuricemia will occur. Hyperuricemia can cause crystals of uric acid (or urate) to form. These crystals can settle in the joints and cause gout, a form of arthritis that can be very painful. They can also settle in the kidneys and form kidney stones.
What is the symptoms of uric acid?
People who have gout typically suffer from symptoms affecting the feet, like swelling, pain, and redness, particularly in the joint behind the big toe. Acute gout causes sporadic attacks and can affect most any major extremity joint, with the small joints of the hands and feet affected most often.
What is the cause of uric acid?
Most of the time, a high uric acid level occurs when your kidneys don’t eliminate uric acid efficiently. Things that may cause this slow-down in the removal of uric acid include rich foods, being overweight, having diabetes, taking certain diuretics (sometimes called water pills) and drinking too much alcohol.
What is the fastest way to get rid of uric acid?
In this article, learn about eight natural ways to lower uric acid levels.
- Limit purine-rich foods.
- Eat more low-purine foods.
- Avoid drugs that raise uric acid levels.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- Avoid alcohol and sugary drinks.
- Drink coffee.
- Try a vitamin C supplement.
- Eat cherries.
How can I check my uric acid levels at home?
A uric acid test measures the amount of uric acid in the body. Uric acid is a chemical that’s produced when your body breaks down purines….How is a uric acid urine test performed?
- On day 1, urinate into the toilet after waking up.
- After that, take note of the time and collect all urine for the remaining 24 hours.
What not to eat when uric acid is high?
Foods to Avoid if You Have Gout
- Beer and grain liquors (like vodka and whiskey)
- Red meat, lamb, and pork.
- Organ meats, such as liver, kidneys, and glandular meats like the thymus or pancreas (you may hear them called sweetbreads)
- Seafood, especially shellfish like shrimp, lobster, mussels, anchovies, and sardines.
Why would I need an uric acid blood test?
The uric acid blood test is used to detect high levels of this compound in the blood in order to help diagnose gout. The test is also used to monitor uric acid levels in people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer. Rapid cell turnover from such treatment can result in an increased uric acid level.
Do I need to fast for an uric acid test?
The uric acid test requires either a blood or urine sample. For the blood sample, the patient should be fasting (nothing to eat or drink) for at least eight hours before the test. The urine test for uric acid requires a 24-hour urine collection.
What do high levels of uric acid indicate?
Elevated uric acid levels in the urine may indicate spreading cancer, consumption of a purine-rich diet, a bone-marrow or white blood-cell disorder, gout, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, rhabdomyolysis (a breakdown of muscle tissues normally caused by injury) and Fanconi syndrome, which is a disorder of the kidney tubes.
How much does an uric acid lab test cost?
Uric acid blood tests can cost anywhere from $50 and up , but it is frequently covered by most health insurance companies. It is usually part of a medically necessary treatment process.