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Concept
Hyperuricemia
Summary
Hyperuricaemia or hyperuricemia is an abnormally high level of uric acid in the blood. In the pH conditions of body fluid, uric acid exists largely as urate, the ion form. Serum uric acid concentrations greater than 6 mg/dL for females, 7 mg/dL for men, and 5.5 mg/dL for youth (under 18 years old) are defined as hyperuricemia. The amount of urate in the body depends on the balance between the amount of purines eaten in food, the amount of urate synthesised within the body (e.g., through cell turnover), and the amount of urate that is excreted in urine or through the gastrointestinal tract. Hyperuricemia may be the result of increased production of uric acid, decreased excretion of uric acid, or both increased production and reduced excretion.
Unless high blood levels of uric acid are determined in a clinical laboratory, hyperuricemia may not cause noticeable symptoms in most people. Development of gout which is a painful, short-term disorder is the most common consequence of hyperuricemia, which causes deposition of uric acid crystals usually in joints of the extremities, but may also induce formation of kidney stones, another painful disorder. Gout symptoms are typically inflammation, swelling and redness of a joint, such as a toe or knee, accompanied by intense pain. Not all people with hyperuricemia develop gout.
Many factors contribute to hyperuricemia, including genetics, insulin resistance, hypertension, hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease, obesity, diet, iron overload, use of diuretics (e.g. thiazides, loop diuretics), and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Of these, alcohol consumption is the most important.
Causes of hyperuricemia can be classified into three functional types: increased production of uric acid, decreased excretion of uric acid, and mixed type. Causes of increased production include high levels of purine in the diet and increased purine metabolism. Causes of decreased excretion include kidney disease, certain drugs, and competition for excretion between uric acid and other molecules.
Official source
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