Elevated uric acid could raise your risk of gout, kidney stones, stroke and heart disease. Here's what you need to know.
Published Jan 22, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 22, 2025 | 8:00 AM
From gout and kidney stones, stroke to heart disease, here’s why elevated uric acid could be putting your health at risk. (Creative Commons)
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to searing pain in your toe, so intense that even the weight of a bedsheet feels unbearable.
What might seem like a freak occurrence could actually signal a condition that quietly impacts millions worldwide: high uric acid levels, or hyperuricaemia.
Doctors warn that rising cases of hyperuricaemia are no laughing matter, and many people remain unaware of the problems it can cause. Uric acid doesn’t just affect painful joints; it can silently wreak havoc on your body.
Gout, the commonest disease associated with high uric acid levels, occurs when high concentrations of uric acid form crystals in the joints.
“Joint pain accompanied by swelling is the primary symptom of gout. When gout occurs alongside high uric acid levels, patients need medical treatment.
“Many people may have elevated uric acid levels in their blood without experiencing any symptoms of gout. One should not ignore this, as hyperuricaemia is associated with several diseases,” Dr Sudhir Kumar, a consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad, tells South First.
Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, renowned gastroenterologist and member of the public health advisory panel of Kerala State Indian Medical Association, explains, “Uric acid occurs as a natural byproduct when the body breaks down purines (one of two chemical compounds that cells use to make the building blocks of DNA and RNA).
“The kidneys excrete uric acid mainly through urine, with a smaller amount passing through the gut in bile. Blood levels rise in certain situations, either when production increases or excretion decreases.”
Doctors explain that hyperuricaemia has evolved beyond just a precursor to gout; research links it to several health issues:
Dr Jayadevan adds, “Not everyone with higher uric acid levels needs medication. However, if we find elevated uric acid levels in someone without symptoms, we must check for metabolic syndrome, which combines hypertension, diabetes, obesity and increased blood fat levels.
“Uric acid is frequently seen alongside this condition, though the mechanisms involved are complex.”
Therefore, people with high uric acid should check their blood pressure, fasting sugar and cholesterol levels. They should also measure their waist circumference for abdominal obesity, which serves as an easily detectable indicator of metabolic syndrome.
Measurements exceeding 80 cm in women and 90 cm in men indicate obesity, and one should work to reduce it.
Some individuals develop kidney stones from elevated uric acid. Treatment varies depending on the patient’s clinical profile, and some cases may require medication.
Dr Kumar also warns that hyperuricaemia associates with a higher risk of ischaemic stroke. “The stroke risk increases by 10 per cent for every 1 mg/dL increase in uric acid levels, suggesting a dose-response relationship between serum uric acid levels and stroke risk,” he explains.
“It also associates with higher risks of haemorrhagic stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and major adverse cardiovascular events.”
Dr Arvind Canchi, a consultant nephrologist and transplant physician at Trustwell Hospitals, lists these causes behind increased uric acid levels:
Diagnosing high uric acid levels involves combining medical history, physical examination and laboratory tests, such as:
Dr Canchi recommends testing for:
Dr Sudhir recommends these steps to maintain healthy uric acid levels:
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
