Relationship of Uric Acid Levels to Gout

RELATIONSHIP OF URIC ACID LEVELS TO GOUT

The degree of risk of acquiring gouty arthritis is related primarily to the extent and duration of the hyper-uricemia. The risk is essentially zero at serum urate con-centration below 7 mg/dL, whereas at concentrations of 10 to 11 mg/dL, the likelihood of having the disorder is relatively high. Gouty arthritis due to impaired renal excretion of uric acid may be diagnosed through a quantification of the patient’s uric acid excretion. If a patient on a purine-restricted diet for 1 week excretes more than 600 mg uric acid per 24 hours, the individual is probably an overproducer. If, however, less than 350 mg of uric acid is eliminated in 24 hours, suspect im-paired renal function.