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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffHigh uric acid level (hyperuricemia) is an excessive concentration of uric acid in your blood. Uric acid is waste produced during the breakdown of purine, a substance found in many foods. Uric acid normally is carried in your blood, passes through your kidneys and is eliminated in urine.
A high uric acid level may not cause problems. However, some people develop gout, kidney stones or kidney failure due to high uric acid levels. A high uric acid level may appear prior to the development of high blood pressure, heart disease or chronic kidney disease. But it's often unclear whether a high uric acid level is a direct cause or merely an early warning sign of these conditions.
- Chemistry studies. In: Fischbach FT, et al. A Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2009. http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&NEWS=N&PAGE=booktext&D=books&AN=00140036/7th_Edition/11&XPATH=/OVIDBOOK%5B1%5D/METADATA%5B1%5D/TBY%5B1%5D/EDITORS%5B1%5D. Accessed July 12, 2010.
- Questions and answers about gout. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Gout/default.asp. Accessed July 12, 2010.
- Becker MA. Asymptomatic hyperuricemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 12, 2010.
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