Uric acid is a waste product created when your body metabolizes substances called purines that is found naturally in the many foods. The kidneys normally filter the uric acid and release it in your urine. An abnormal buildup of uric acid in the blood occurs when your body produces too much uric acid or your kidneys cannot eliminate enough of the uric acid. This is called hyperuricemia. High uric acid can cause attacks of gout owing to the precipitation of urate crystals in connective tissue and the skeletal system.
Diuretic Medications
High uric level is often caused by using diuretic medications. Diuretics, such as thiazide, are given to treat high blood pressure, which cause blood vessels to dilate and help increase urine production by promoting the excretion of salts and water from the kidneys. Uric acid and urate crystals are deposited, especially in joint spaces, causing "secondary gout". Thus, doctors also recommend anti-uric acid medications, such as allopurinol, when prescribing diuretics, or "water pills" to hypertensive people. Anti-uric medications reduce the amount of uric acid in your blood and urine by interfering with the mechanism by which your body synthesizes uric acid.
Alcohol Consumption
Excessive intake of alcohol can lead to the development of hyperuricemia. Alcohol of any kind can increase blood uric acid level, but beer and ale are especially problematic. Patients with high uric acid level must try to avoid alcohol since it promotes purine metabolism and uric acid production, notes The Harvard Medical School. Alcohol may also interfere with the removal of uric acid from your body.
Family History
Approximately 20 percent of patients with high uric level have a family history of it, according to University of Maryland Medical Center. Scientists have identified 3 gout susceptibility genes that can increase the risk of gout up to 40 times. Some patients with a family history of gout have a defective protein that can cause some inborn errors of metabolism, resulting in excessive synthesis of uric acid, explains University of Maryland Medical Center.
