What is Uric Acid? These Answers Might Surprise You!
You are watching your favorite game show on television when the big bonus question comes up.
It is, drum roll please, a little quirky music, and finally the question is "What is uric acid?" Silence falls over the audience as the contestant struggles to find the answer and just before time runs out he blurts "an ingredient used in perfume".
The host tries to keep a straight face as he delivers the bad news that uric acid is not used in perfume and they quickly say goodbye and go to commercial.
I guess it wasn't a bad guess, after all a big bottle of uric acid perfume might just be a big hit for anyone looking to trigger a case of gout or painful gouty arthritis.
What fun, talk about adding a little spice to the big date.
But for those who have elevated levels and the subsequent painful recurring gout attack that go along with elevated uric acid this is a serious matter, and nothing to laugh about.
So we can avoid any confusion let's look at how the American Medical Association defines this potentially troublesome waste product.
Uric acid is a component of blood and urine that is the end product of nucleic acid metabolism.
It is organic and contains the element nitrogen.
It is insoluble in water, and this property is primarily responsible for the formation of solid crystals in the joints, causing a painful condition called gout.
Uric acid crystals can also form in the kidneys and cause kidney stones.
Uric acid is also found in certain foods, most notably red meats, organ meats such as liver and kidney, anchovies, and some shellfish.
Men older than 30, people who are overweight, people who drink alcohol frequently, and people who use diuretics to lower blood pressure are in the high risk category for developing gout.
That is about all the AMA has to say about it.
But in asking what is uric acid as it applies to gouty arthritis there are a few other things you might be interested to know.
One of these is that while gout is typically seen in the joint of the big toe is often occurs in areas of the body where the temperature is lower than the average body temperature.
An example of this would be the ear or Achilles tendon.
Also, in men whose serum uric acid readings are 9.
0/100 ml or above their chances of having a gout attack are 90 percent.
So if you fall into this category you can start making plans to postpone the annual flag football party indefinitely.
What Next? Attacks of the gout caused by elevated uric acid levels are a serious matter and should not be ignored.
Believing that somehow the initial attack was just a fluke is a mistake.
Statistics show that after the initial attack secondary attacks are likely but predicting when they will occur and their severity has yet to be perfected.
We have pretty much answered the question as to what is uric acid, but chances are if you are reading this gout has become a painful reality.
So if you are interested in getting the gout out of town there are four steps that can be implemented at home to reduce your chances of having a gout attack.
First, reduce the intake of purine laden foods such as shellfish and organ meats; second, drink plenty of fresh water (6 eight ounce glasses a day); third avoid that alcoholic beverage while watching the game; and last but not least implement an alternative gout remedy containing the natural ingredients turmeric and milk thistle.
By implementing these four steps you will have made great strides on the path to reducing elevated uric acid levels and avoiding future attacks.
It is, drum roll please, a little quirky music, and finally the question is "What is uric acid?" Silence falls over the audience as the contestant struggles to find the answer and just before time runs out he blurts "an ingredient used in perfume".
The host tries to keep a straight face as he delivers the bad news that uric acid is not used in perfume and they quickly say goodbye and go to commercial.
I guess it wasn't a bad guess, after all a big bottle of uric acid perfume might just be a big hit for anyone looking to trigger a case of gout or painful gouty arthritis.
What fun, talk about adding a little spice to the big date.
But for those who have elevated levels and the subsequent painful recurring gout attack that go along with elevated uric acid this is a serious matter, and nothing to laugh about.
So we can avoid any confusion let's look at how the American Medical Association defines this potentially troublesome waste product.
Uric acid is a component of blood and urine that is the end product of nucleic acid metabolism.
It is organic and contains the element nitrogen.
It is insoluble in water, and this property is primarily responsible for the formation of solid crystals in the joints, causing a painful condition called gout.
Uric acid crystals can also form in the kidneys and cause kidney stones.
Uric acid is also found in certain foods, most notably red meats, organ meats such as liver and kidney, anchovies, and some shellfish.
Men older than 30, people who are overweight, people who drink alcohol frequently, and people who use diuretics to lower blood pressure are in the high risk category for developing gout.
That is about all the AMA has to say about it.
But in asking what is uric acid as it applies to gouty arthritis there are a few other things you might be interested to know.
One of these is that while gout is typically seen in the joint of the big toe is often occurs in areas of the body where the temperature is lower than the average body temperature.
An example of this would be the ear or Achilles tendon.
Also, in men whose serum uric acid readings are 9.
0/100 ml or above their chances of having a gout attack are 90 percent.
So if you fall into this category you can start making plans to postpone the annual flag football party indefinitely.
What Next? Attacks of the gout caused by elevated uric acid levels are a serious matter and should not be ignored.
Believing that somehow the initial attack was just a fluke is a mistake.
Statistics show that after the initial attack secondary attacks are likely but predicting when they will occur and their severity has yet to be perfected.
We have pretty much answered the question as to what is uric acid, but chances are if you are reading this gout has become a painful reality.
So if you are interested in getting the gout out of town there are four steps that can be implemented at home to reduce your chances of having a gout attack.
First, reduce the intake of purine laden foods such as shellfish and organ meats; second, drink plenty of fresh water (6 eight ounce glasses a day); third avoid that alcoholic beverage while watching the game; and last but not least implement an alternative gout remedy containing the natural ingredients turmeric and milk thistle.
By implementing these four steps you will have made great strides on the path to reducing elevated uric acid levels and avoiding future attacks.
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