What is high uric acid? Come here to find out

In daily life, many people have heard of high uric acid. Uric acid is a representative of the human body. With the continuous improvement of dietary levels in real life, many people's uncontrolled diet will easily lead to high uric acid in the body, endangering health and causing some complications. So what is high uric acid? Let’s find out together.

disease

High uric acid level is a metabolic disease caused by a metabolic disorder in the human body, which leads to an increase of uric acid in the blood. The daily production and excretion of uric acid in the body are approximately equal. In terms of production, one-third comes from food, and two-thirds is synthesized by the body itself. As for excretion, one-third is excreted from the intestines, and two-thirds is excreted from the kidneys. If any of the above pathways goes wrong, it will cause an increase in uric acid.

Uric acid rises because it hinders the process of uric acid secretion in the blood, making it impossible to excrete uric acid. High uric acid levels can also cause other diseases.

The number of gout patients, which was relatively rare in the past, has increased. Not only are middle-aged and elderly people suffering from the disease, but there is also a trend of younger people suffering from gout, making it a common disease. Clinically, the normal value of uric acid in men is: 149～416μmol/L. Normal uric acid levels for women: 89-357 μmo1/L. If it exceeds the standard, it means that the uric acid level is high.

The normal reference values ​​of each hospital or laboratory are slightly different, so you can ask your doctor for advice. The normal reference value for women is about 60-70umol/L lower than that for men. Usually, the uric acid value gradually increases after menopause and approaches the value of adult men. The normal reference value for children is lower [about 180-300umol/L]. After puberty, male uric acid begins to rise and gradually reaches adult concentrations, while female uric acid begins to rise after menopause and slowly reaches the level of adult men.

symptom

High uric acid levels occur in different stages and will manifest differently in different manifestations.

1. Asymptomatic hyperuricemia: Blood tests may reveal an increased blood uric acid concentration, but no clinical symptoms such as arthritis, hyperuricemia or kidney stones appear. During this period, it is generally difficult to detect unless a test is done. Asymptomatic hyperuricemia may last for 10 to 20 years, and some people may never develop hyperuricemia throughout their lives. Generally speaking, the higher the blood uric acid level, the greater the risk of hyperuricemia.

2. Acute hyperuricemia arthritis: It can occur in all seasons, but is most common in spring and autumn. Local joint injury, overeating, excessive fatigue, damp and cold, certain medications, infection and surgical operations can all trigger acute attacks. These factors can cause the already supersaturated uric acid to form needle-shaped crystals that are deposited in the synovial fluid of the joints. The crystals are regarded as foreign by the white blood cells in the body and are phagocytosed. After being phagocytosed, inflammatory factors are released, causing acute attacks.

3. Gouty arthritis: The common attack sites are the thumb joint, ankle joint, knee joint, etc. Some patients with long-term gout may experience attacks in the finger joints or even the soft tissue part of the ear. The site of acute gout attack becomes red, swollen, hot and painful. It usually occurs at midnight and can wake people from sleep. In the early stages of gout, attacks often occur in the lower limbs. Gout can also cause kidney damage.