Uric Acid

Uric acid (Uric Acid) is a nitrogen-containing organic acid, which is the end product of nucleic acid metabolism and one of the components of urine. Crystals of uric acid are deposited, for example, in the joints of patients with gout.

Uric acid is formed in the body of humans and mammals as a result of the breakdown of purine bases. The main sources of purines are endogenous purines, synthesized in the body, and exogenous ones, coming from food.

The normal concentration of uric acid in the blood is 140-360 µmol/L in men and 140-340 µmol/L in women. Elevated levels of uric acid in the blood are called hyperuricemia, which can lead to the development of gout, kidney stones and other diseases.

Medicines that reduce uric acid levels are used to treat and prevent hyperuricemia and related conditions. These include allopurinol, febuxostat, probenecid. It is also important to follow a diet limiting foods rich in purines.

Uric acid is a nitrogen-containing organic acid, which is the end product of nucleotide metabolism and one of the constituents of urine. It is formed as a result of the breakdown of purine nucleotides, which are the main components of DNA and RNA.

Uric acid crystals can deposit in various tissues of the body, including joints, especially in people suffering from gout. Gout is a disease characterized by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints and their inflammation.

In addition, uric acid can be used as a medicine to treat certain diseases. For example, it is used in the treatment of gout and as an anti-inflammatory agent. However, an overdose of uric acid can cause serious side effects such as kidney and liver damage.

Thus, uric acid plays an important role in the human body, and its metabolism is an important process that needs to be controlled.

**Uric acid or urate**

Uric acid (uric acid) is a nitrogen-containing organic acid, which is the final product of the metabolism of organic compounds. It is chemically stable with a specific distribution of acid groups, which makes it extremely sensitive to the effects of temperature and pH.

The cells of our body are able to produce this acid only if there are enough nitrogenous substances (proteins, amino acids, nucleotides, various small compounds). Most of the time, low-molecular-weight products of its destruction—free amino acids—circulate in the blood. In addition to them, these are creatinine, pyruvate and purine bases. About 60-70% of the latter are uric acid. Its deposition in the body occurs after its formation; it is excreted along with urine. The formation of this acid usually depends solely on the amount of the coenzyme pyridoxal, which is found only in some proteins. Of all its types in our body, the most common are pyridoxal phosphate (Axam, Picol) and the least common is thiamine pyrophosphate. In the liver, kidneys, leukocytes, muscles, hair, uric acid is an intermediate link in metabolic processes. Acid synthesis itself is an energy-consuming process, but if there is a small amount of thiamine pyrophosphate (pyrodoxal) in the cell, the biosynthesis of uric acid begins from its derivatives together with amino acids. The latter in liver and kidney cells is quite fast. Muscle tissue, hair and skin take a minimal part in the synthesis - only to replenish the reserves of free amino acids.

A blood test in high-risk people allows us to identify specific clinical syndromes associated not with systemic diseases, but with damage to joints and other organs - musculo-articular syndrome (for diseases of the muscles and skeletal nerves), spontaneous subdiaphragmatic pain syndrome, kidney damage, myocardial dystrophy with dysmetabolic nephropathy, metabolic syndrome, etc.

High levels of uric acid in the serum may indicate a violation of the mechanisms of its metabolism and be a diagnostic sign of impaired salt metabolism (due to a hereditary disorder of purine metabolism or in the case of secondary elevated levels of uric acid).

The reference range is 95 – 280 µmol/l. If uric acid is detected above 460 - 360 µmol/l in women and 500 - 560 mmol/l in men, the doctor may recommend donating blood to determine the cause of hyperuricemia, since this pathology occurs under conditions of chronic inflammation, infections, toxicosis, cancer, insufficient fluid intake, lack of vitamin B12 and C, or may result from other diseases of bone tissue, damage to the cardiovascular system and kidneys.