What is Uric Acid?

Uric acid is a chemical created when the body breaks down substances called purines. Purines are normally produced in the body and are also found in some foods and drinks. Foods with high content of purines include liver, anchovies, mackerel, dried beans and peas, and beer.

 

What is the relationship between Uric Acid and Kidneys?

Uric acid is produced during the breakdown of purines, which are found in certain foods and are also formed by your body. Once produced, uric acid is carried in your blood and passes through your kidneys, where most of it is filtered out into the urine.

 

Sometimes, uric acid in the blood gets too high. This happens:

• The body makes too much uric acid and/or
• The kidneys can’t add enough uric acid to your urine, so it builds up in your blood (the more common reason)

Risk

Many things can increase the level of uric acid in the body:

• including certain foods, other diseases, or certain medicines.
• Being dehydrated (having too little water) can also increase the concentration of uric acid in the blood.
• Other possible risk factors can include obesity, age, and family history of gout.

 

Only about one-third of people with hyperuricemia (high uric acid) experience symptoms. This is known as asymptomatic hyperuricemia.

 

Although hyperuricemia isn’t a disease, if uric acid levels remain high, over time they can lead to several diseases like:

• Gout
• Tophaceous Gout
• Kidney Stones

 

Gout

Sometimes called gouty arthritis, occurs in about 20 percent of people with hyperuricemia. A rapid drop in uric acid levels can also trigger gout. Gout can appear as isolated attacks, or flares. Some people experience chronic gout, which involves a number attacks occurring over short periods of time.

 

Gout can affect any joint in your body, but flares often first appear in your large toe. Feet, ankles, knees, and elbows are also common sites of gout.

 

Symptoms of gout may include:

• severe pain in your joints
• joint stiffness
• difficulty moving affected joints
• redness and swelling
• misshapen joint               

Tophaceous gout

If you’ve had hyperuricemia for several years, uric acid crystals can form clumps called tophi. These hard lumps are found under your skin, around your joints, and in the curve at the top of your ear. Tophi can worsen joint pain and over time damage your joints or compress your nerves. They’re often visible to the eye and can become disfiguring.

 

Kidney stones

Uric acid crystals can cause a build-up of stones in your kidneys. Often, the stones are small and are passed in your urine. Sometimes, they can become too large to pass and block parts of your urinary tract.

 

Symptoms of kidney stones include:

• pain or aching in your lower back, side, abdomen, or groin
• nausea
• increased urge to urinate
• pain when urinating
• difficulty urinating
• blood in your urine
• foul-smelling urine

 

Chronic kidney diseases and Uric acid- A vicious cycle

In Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), since the normal ability of kidneys to filter out waste products decreases, the level of plasma uric acid increases. This further leads to build-up of uric acid, deteriorating kidney health and further causing episodes of Gout. So it is important to keep uric acid levels in check.

 

How to lower the Risk of High Uric acid:

 ● Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Avoid foods containing high purines like: fructose corn syrup, organ meats, red meat, fish, and alcoholic beverages etc

 

● Keep your uric acid levels in check by getting tested regularly, if you already have CKD, regularly check for uric acid levels too. 

● Exercise at least 30 minutes a day