What is uric acid and how is it related to gout?

I’m guessing that you’ve recently been diagnosed with gout and you’re searching around for information on what gout is and what causes it.

Or perhaps you’ve had it for some while and you’re looking to find out more about your condition in general.

Either way, your hunt for more information will lead you to discover that uric acid is involved.

It’s well documented that uric acid and gout are connected and in this blog post, I’ll explain how this works in the simplest way possible.

What is uric acid?

Uric acid is a waste product found in your blood.

It’s created when your body goes through its natural process of breaking down chemicals called purines.

Purines are a key component of the DNA and RNA in all living cells, naturally present in your body.

There are two types of purines but we’ll explain what those are in another blog post. For now, let’s focus on uric acid.

So purines are present in your body and they get broken down into uric acid.

Most of this uric acid dissolves in your blood, passes through your kidneys, and leaves your body through your urine.

So what does this have to do with gout?

Your body is naturally designed to flush uric acid out when you pee, however, if too much uric acid stays in your body, you will develop a condition called hyperuricemia.

Hyperuricemia can lead to the formation of crystals.

These can form anywhere in your body, however, they tend to form in and around your joints and kidneys.

This then presents itself as either kidney stones or gout.

The inflammation and pain of a gout attack occur when your body’s defensive white cells attack the crystals.

How much uric acid should be in your blood?

I’m guessing that your gout diagnosis journey went something like this:

1. You had a gout attack that looked like a swollen, painful joint and you showed it to your doctor.
2. They sent you for a blood test to verify whether it's gout or something else.
3. Your blood test results came back and showed that your uric acid level was higher than it should be.
4. Your doctor prescribed medication to help bring the level down.

This is exactly what happened to me and it’s a story told by many other gout sufferers. It also led all of us to wonder “how much uric acid is normal?”

Fortunately, there’s a chart that’s been well-publicised which tells you what the different levels of uric acid are and how much is too much:

Table of uric acid levels

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your uric acid levels over time.

My doctor arranges for me to have a quarterly blood test, conducted in a clinical setting, to see if the medication is helping me bring my uric acid level down.

There is also a range of home uric acid testing kits and devices that many fellow gout sufferers use to keep an eye on their uric acid more regularly, which I’m yet to try.

I hope you’ve found this short and sweet explanation of what uric acid is and how it’s related to gout helpful.

As with all things health-related, new research will help enhance what we know about gout and I’ll be sure to keep this blog post updated if any new developments arise.