Patient education: Uric acid blood test (The Basics)

What is a uric acid blood test? — This is a test to check the level of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is sometimes called "urate." It is a chemical that is produced when the body breaks down "purines." Purines are substances found in some foods and drinks, including meat, seafood, and beer.

If there is too much uric acid in the blood, it can form sharp needle-like crystals that build up in the joints and cause pain. This is called "gout." These crystals can also form inside the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. There, they can turn into kidney stones, which can cause pain and problems with the flow of urine.

Why might I need a uric acid blood test? — Your doctor might order this test:

●To help diagnose gout

●To see if treatment for gout is working – The medicines used for gout work by lowering the amount of uric acid in the blood.

●To check for problems related to chemotherapy or other cancer treatment – The test might be done if a person has symptoms of "tumor lysis syndrome." This can happen when a lot of cancer cells break down and release certain substances, including uric acid, into the bloodstream.

How do I prepare for a uric acid blood test? — For this test, you need to get a "blood draw." Your doctor or nurse will tell you where to go for this.

It might help to wear a short-sleeve shirt to your blood draw appointment. This makes it easier for the person drawing your blood to get to your arm.

What happens during a blood draw? — For the blood draw, a needle is used to take a small amount of blood from your arm (figure 1). Collecting the blood only takes a few minutes. The blood is then tested in a lab.

Tell the person who takes your blood:

●If you take "blood thinner" medicines or if you have a bleeding problem – They will make sure that your bleeding is under control before you leave.

●If you have a latex allergy – Some of the supplies used for blood draws might contain latex.

●If you have a preferred arm to use

Most of the time, getting blood taken does not cause problems. You might have a little soreness or bruising where the needle went in.

What do my results mean? — Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your results, and will contact you with the results. Or if you use an online "patient portal," you might get an alert there when your results are ready.

If your uric acid level is high, your doctor or nurse will talk to you about what to do next. They might need to do more tests to figure out what the cause is.

If you do have a health problem, your doctor will work with you to come up with a plan for treatment.

More on this topic

Patient education: Gout (The Basics)
Patient education: Kidney stones in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Kidney stones in children (The Basics)
Patient education: Tumor lysis syndrome (The Basics)

Patient education: Gout (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Kidney stones in adults (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Kidney stones in children (Beyond the Basics)