What Blood Test Shows Gout

Diagnosing Gout: What To Expect At The Doctors Office

Gout, Uric Acid Blood Test – What does it mean?

If youre unsure about whats causing your pain and other symptoms, youll likely visit various health care providers, which could include your internist/general practitioner, orthopedist, or podiatrist.

While your GP or internist may be able to diagnose and manage gout, if the diagnosis of gout is not clear, or if you arent getting better with initial treatment, you may be referred to a rheumatologist. A rheumatologist is a specialist who treats musculoskeletal disease and systemic autoimmune conditions, including gout.

There is no single, simple test to diagnose gout.

First, your doctor will perform a physical examination to assess your overall health and ask about your history of joint pain and other symptoms that suggest gout, as well as your family history and any pre-existing medical conditions you have or medications you take.

The doctor may check for pain in multiple joints. Over half of cases of acute gout occur in the big toe for the first time. Then over time, it can spread to other areas, like the middle of the foot, the ankle, knees, hands, the wrists, the elbows, and other joints as well, says Jonathan Greer, MD, a rheumatologist with Arthritis & Rheumatology Associates of Palm Beach in Florida.

Risk factors of gout that your doctor may consider:

Family history of gout

Now Its Your Turn To Understand What Does Gout Show In A Blood Test

Theres today thousands of us who no longer put up with gout because we tackled it at its reason. Rather than just tinkering with the symptoms.

Im one of them!

Remember, I acquired gout for the same reasons you have it nowadays.

An unsafe gut microbiome supposed that bacteria that should have been removing a third of my bodys uric acid just wasnt.

That bacteria experienced diminished to the stage that my kidneys have been trying to deal with the acid on their own.

And they couldnt cope.

Nor can yours.

It wasnt that we was suddenly creating too much uric acid. Its that my gut was basically no longer able to help my kidneys take it off from my body.

And the transformation from gout to no gout felt like magic almost.

You can possibly imagine it yourself.. what it would be like to simply never have any gout ever again.

Take my word for it, its wonderful!

No flare-ups, no pain, no being laid-up in bed for days waiting for the pain to subside.

An absense of thinking about if some upcoming occasion will be smudged because Im laid up in agony with another assault.

In the same way satisfying is the fact that Ive substantially reduced my hazards of troubled diabetes furthermore, kidney failure, heart disease and some malignancies.

Shellys program lays it all out for us. No special knowledge is required. I found it easy.

Why Do I Need To Do Blood Test For Gout

Monitoring of gout treatment depends largely on the level of urate in the blood. Effective management of gout required a long-term lowering of the uric acid level.

The target concentration of urate level as recommended by both the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism for patients under urate-lowering therapy is less than 0.36 mmol/L.

This target is a requisite to achieve urate crystal dissolution in vivo, prevent gout attacks, and allow regression of tophi.

According to Dalbeth et al., the velocity of tophus regression is inversely related to the blood urate concentration.

Thus, for those with a severe tophaceous disease, a lower target of less than 0.30mmol/L may be necessary.

Needless to say, performing a blood test for gout is part of gout management.

Monitoring of the level of urate in the blood is crucial in ensuring relevant treatment target are achieved by patients.

Also Check: What Is The First Sign Of Gout

How A Uric Acid Blood Test Is Done

The process of obtaining a blood sample for testing is called venipuncture.

Your doctor or another healthcare provider takes blood from a vein, usually from your inner elbow or the back of your hand.

First, they sterilize the area with an antiseptic. They then wrap an elastic band around your arm to allow blood to fill the veins.

They next insert a needle into your vein. The blood is collected in an attached vial. Once the blood has been collected, the healthcare provider will untie the plastic band and remove the needle from the vein.

Finally, theyll apply pressure to the site of the needle entry and bandage it if necessary.

For infants and young children, the healthcare provider may make a small cut on the arm and use a test strip or slide to collect a small sample of blood. Theyll then clean the area and bandage if necessary.

Once collected, the blood is sent to a laboratory for analysis.

1.5 to 6.0 milligrams/deciliter for women and 2.5 to 7.0 mg/dL for men. However, the values may vary based on the lab doing the testing.

Low levels of uric acid are less common than high levels and are less of a health concern.

Hyperuricemia is defined as a blood uric acid level greater than 6.0 mg/dL in women and greater than 7.0 mg/dL in men. According to the American College of Rheumatology , your target level of uric acid should be less than 6.0 mg/dL if you have gout.

High uric acid levels in your blood can also indicate a variety of other causes, including:

Kidney Stones And Hyperuricemia

Not everyone with kidney stones has problems with high uric acid. But people with certain types of chronic kidney stones from uric acid may also need to monitor their levels. This might require urine tests for uric acid and other substances as well as blood tests. In some cases, they may additionally need to take urate-lowering therapies or other treatments to reduce the risk of future stones.

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will blood test show a consistent result for my uric acid? Press J to jump to the feed, Swelling and pain affecting one of the joint in the body, So if you have high levels of uric acid, and magnetic resonance imaging , Some people may need to keep their uric acid level lower than 6.0 mg/dL.Understanding blood test for uric acid in general As well we know, says Dr, Uric acid blood tests should not be used alone when diagnosing gout.Synovial fluid analysis: This is a more accurate test for gout, and each serves a different purpose: Blood tests measure the amount of uric acid in the bloodstream, High levels of uric acid can sometimes cause gout or kidney disease, Normal Results, Low Levels in Blood

3 mins readMost of the uric acid leaves your body when you pee, High vs, Levels taken during an acute attack of gout may be normal as the uric acid has deposited in the joint making the blood levels fall, the blood uric acid level is almost always higher than 6 mg/dL, Uric acid level: The blood

The End Of Gout Your Quick Start Approach

Shelly Mannings The End of Gout is not only a fascinating read its also refreshingly practical.

Shelly gives you two simple quick-starts:

Eat more of these

Eat fewer of these

This simple adjustment can correct years of gout-causing errors in your eating. And you can start on this straight within minutes of receiving the program away.That really helped my problem of What Blood Test Component Shows You Have Gout.

The next step is to follow Shellys 7-day plan.

It tightens up the quick start advice and turns it into a solid, follow-along program.

The 7-day plan was the real clincher for me.

I am a pretty average cook Im competent but not at all skilled or adventurous. Turns out I didnt need to be.

The plan takes away all the thinking and gives me, for the first week, something I can simply copy.

After the first 7 days I used Shellys advice to adapt the plan according to my own tastes.

Which was pretty easy the plan is full of options so you can try different foods and see what you like best.

Its all food you can buy in your supermarket. And it includes lots of nice stuff the chocolate and strawberries desserts were real winners in my house!

What Can Cause Uric Acid To Change

Hyperuricaemia can result in the development of kidney stones. Small kidney stones may not cause any problems or symptoms and may pass through the body via the urine. However, larger stones can get stuck in the urinary tract, particularly in the ureter and can cause infection.

Gout is a type of arthritis which develops because of high uric acid levels in the body. Uric acid crystals form and are deposited in the joints. A common place for these crystals to occur is in the ankle. Individuals who drink alcohol or are overweight are at an increased risk of developing gout, so too are postmenopausal women and individuals who use diuretic medication.

Uric Acid And The Uric Acid Blood Test

Easy Life Blood Uric Acid Test Strip refil packs of 25 test strips

A uric acid blood test, also known as a serum uric acid measurement, determines how much uric acid is present in your blood. The test can help determine how well your body produces and removes uric acid.

Uric acid is a chemical produced when your body breaks down foods that contain organic compounds called purines. Foods and beverages with a high purine content include:

liver
wine

Purines are also created through the natural process of cell breakdown in the body.

Most uric acid is dissolved in the blood, filtered through the kidneys, and expelled in the urine. Sometimes the body produces too much uric acid or doesnt filter out enough of it.

Hyperuricemia is the name of the disorder that occurs when you have too much uric acid in your body.

High levels of uric acid are associated with a condition called gout. Gout is a form of arthritis that causes swelling of the joints, especially in the feet and big toes.

Another cause of hyperuricemia is increased cell death due to cancer or cancer treatments. This can lead to an accumulation of uric acid in the body.

Its also possible to have too little uric acid in your blood, which is a symptom of liver or kidney disease.

Too little uric acid may be a symptom of Fanconi syndrome, a disorder of the kidney tubules that prevents the absorption of substances such as glucose and uric acid. These substances are then passed in the urine instead.

Most commonly, the test is used to:

diagnose and monitor people with gout

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Why It Is Done

A uric acid blood test is done to:

Help diagnose gout.
Check to see if kidney stones may be caused by high uric acid levels in the body.
Check to see if medicine that decreases uric acid levels is working.
Check uric acid levels in people who are undergoing or . These treatments destroy cancer cells that then may leak uric acid into the blood.

What Is Blood Work

Blood is a transport system for the body. We carry all kinds of things in the approximately 5 litres of blood that circulates constantly through our system.

Blood tests, aka blood work, can show us whats in our blood and by extension, whats in our bodies. Blood can also show us changes in our bodies that we might not be able to see from the outside such as our blood sugar levels or nutritional status.

Thus, we can use blood work to assess overall health, and it can give us a much more accurate and objective snapshot of wellness than Gee, I think I had some veggies yesterday or I feel fat today.

Recommended Reading: How To Treat A Gout Attack

What Are The Most Common Symptoms Of High Or Low Uric Acid

The symptoms of kidney stones include:

A constant ache in the lower back
Intense pain in the back, abdomen or groin
Nausea
Needing to urinate more often
Feeling restless

Any joint in the body can be affected by gout, but it is more common in the toes, ankles, knees and fingers. Symptoms of gout include:

Extreme pain in one or more joints
Heat and tenderness around the affected joint
Swelling in an around the affected joint
Red, shiny skin over the joint

How To Test & Diagnosis Gout

Gout can be difficult to diagnose due to its associated symptoms being vague and similar to other conditions. While recurring gout sufferers might know what to look out for or recognize when it comes to gout, a first time sufferer might not even know where to start. The best way to diagnose gout is by visiting your doctor who will have the tools and knowledge to properly exam you. If you are visiting your doctor to check for gout it’s best to be prepared so that you can ensure you get the most out of your visit.

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When Is It Ordered

The uric acid blood test is ordered when a healthcare practitioner suspects that someone has a high uric acid level. Some people with high levels of uric acid have a disease called gout, which is a common form of arthritis. People with gout suffer from joint pain, most often in their toes, but in other joints as well. The test is also ordered when cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy to ensure that uric acid levels do not get dangerously high.

The urine uric acid test may be ordered when a person suffers from recurrent kidney stones or has gout and needs to be monitored for formation of these stones.

How Do I Get Ready For The Test

Typically, you donât need to do anything special. In some cases, your doctor may tell you not to eat or drink anything for 4 or more hours before the test. Your doctor will also let you know if you need to stop taking any medicines.

Make sure to tell your doctor about any medicines, herbs, and supplements you take, including over-the-counter, prescription, and illegal drugs. Any of these, including medications that make you pee more often , vitamin B-3, and aspirin, can affect your results.

Also Check: What Does Gout Feel Like In Your Feet

Can You Get Rid Of Gout

It ought to be fairly noticeable why youd need to get gone gout, but is it feasible basically?

Sure will be, but theres not just a one-size meets all solution.

In the next section, well end up being going over whats worked best for us!

You wont want to miss out on this free video.

NOTICE: Id highly recommend going to your doctor or seeing a specialist about this situation, since we arent experts. See our medical disclaimer for more details.

We dont know what will work for you, but we know whats worked for us and others

When To Get Tested

How To Self-Test For Uric Acid ~ eBuricacid Meter

When you have joint pain or other symptoms that your healthcare practitioner suspects may be due to gout when you have had or are going to have certain chemotherapy or radiation therapies for cancer when you have recurrent kidney stones when you have gout or are otherwise at risk for kidney stone formation

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Types Of Blood Tests With Abbreviations

Blood tests with abbreviations are taken to determine a range of medical conditions. Often, they are used to see if certain drugs are present in a patients body, or if medications taken for a specific illness are effective, or if there are any imbalances of minerals in the body and if all the organs are functioning well.

At some point in ones life, everyone needs to have a blood test. Blood tests are usually written in abbreviated form. Knowledge of these types of blood tests with abbreviations will help one understand just what the results of these blood tests mean. You can also get a clear picture of blood tests in general. Here are 21 most common blood tests taken:

Why Do Doctors Test Uric Acid Levels

Having uric acid levels outside of the normal range can cause several health issues.

Conditions that stem from high uric acid levels range from gout, a type of arthritis, to atherosclerosis, where plaque builds up and clogs the arteries. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Having low uric acid levels can the outlook for people with central nervous system diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, and increase risk when people contract viruses such as viral meningitis.

Identifying when uric acid levels are outside the healthy range is important.

For people experiencing symptoms of uric acid-related conditions, a test can enable a doctor to diagnose the condition and manage it.

Those monitoring uric acid levels due to ongoing treatment can use the results to modify their diet and prevent adverse effects from occurring.

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What Is Uric Acid

Uric acid is a natural waste product that your body produces when digesting foods containing purines. Purines are chemical compounds found in many foods including red meat, some seafood, and refined sugars.

Usually, your kidneys filter out uric acid and it passes out in your urine. But consistently high uric acid levels can build up in your blood and cause gout. Gout is a type of arthritis that leads to painful swelling due to crystals forming in your joints. Gout most commonly affects your hands, feet, wrists, elbows, and knees.

High uric acid levels are also associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, kidney stones, kidney disease, and liver disease.

How To Prepare For The Test

You should not eat or drink anything for 4 hours before the test unless told otherwise.

Many medicines can interfere with blood test results.