Normal and Abnormal Uric Acid Ranges
Tracking uric acid levels can be helpful for people who are prone to gout or kidney stones. It can also be useful for people who have health conditions that affect kidney function or who take certain medications that may affect uric acid levels.
Experts have defined normal ranges of uric acid in blood, urine, and saliva.
- Blood: For females, abnormal is over 6 mg/dl; for males, abnormal is over 7 mg/dl [5].
- Saliva: The normal level of uric acid in saliva in a healthy individual is 199 ± 27 μmol/L [4].
- Urine: Adults excrete about 500 to 600 milligrams (mg) of uric acid in their urine every 24 hours. Losing more than 750 mg a day is considered too much for adults on a normal diet [2].
Since uric acid levels can fluctuate based on diet and medications, a single test outside the normal range isn’t cause for concern. It may be more effective to test on a regular schedule and look for trends in the results. If you are using home tests to track levels, your doctor can advise you on how often to test and what to look for.
Correlations Between Uric Acid Levels in Different Bodily Fluids
Blood testing is the most common method to ascertain uric acid levels. However, this usually requires a trip to a doctors office or lab for clinical testing. Alternatively, individuals can use home monitoring devices that are similar to blood glucose monitors. These devices utilize a finger-stick method to extract and analyze blood, which is invasive and can be uncomfortable.
Recent studies show correspondence between uric acid levels in blood and saliva [6]. Researchers have found that people with elevated uric acid levels in their blood will also show elevated uric acid levels in their saliva [7]. This is because not all uric acid is released into the bloodstream, but some portions of uric acid naturally end up in the saliva. If the body isn’t properly excreting uric acid, levels in blood, saliva, and urine will all increase.
In practice, this means both urine and saliva testing can accurately reveal elevated uric acid levels without the inconveniences of blood testing. Using at-home tests for urine or saliva may be a helpful tool for monitoring uric acid levels. A pH balance test helps manage uric acid levels by indicating whether urine is too acidic, which can affect uric acid solubility and potentially lead to conditions like gout or kidney stones.
However, it’s important to note that the results of any saliva testing can be affected by recent consumption of food or drink, as well as smoking tobacco products or even brushing teeth. The authors of a review of research on salivary uric acid testing suggest that results are most reliable when samples are collected after a fasting period of eight hours. You should refrain from smoking or eating food that is high in sugar and food containing caffeine for at least 30 minutes before testing [6].
Monitoring Uric Acid Levels
Uric acid levels are an indicator of various health conditions [8].
High uric acid levels are associated with conditions including:
- Purine processing disorder (Lesch-Nyhan syndrome)
- Certain metastatic cancers
- Muscle fiber breakdown from rhabdomyolysis
- Bone marrow disorders such as myeloproliferative disorder.
- Fanconi syndrome, a kidney disorder in which certain substances normally absorbed into the bloodstream are released into the urine instead.
- Gout
- High-purine diet
A low uric acid level may indicate conditions including:
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic glomerulonephritis
- Lead poisoning
- Chronic alcohol use
If you have a diagnosed condition that affects uric acid levels, you may benefit from using uric acid tests at home to monitor your levels. Routine monitoring can help you identify fluctuations in uric acid levels that might be associated with gout flare-ups. It may also be helpful in controlling uric acid intake to prevent kidney stones from forming.
Testing Uric Acid Levels at Home
Dipstick-style tests like the Diagnox uric acid test kit can give you a snapshot of your uric acid levels at a single point in time. The Diagnox test can detect uric acid in either urine or saliva. Simply saturate the uric acid test strips in the fluid and wait for the strip to change color. The color correlates with the amount of uric acid present in urine or saliva at that time.
Diagnox uric acid tests are individually sealed to provide the longest possible shelf life. Test results are easy to read and develop in under five minutes. These tests are not intended as diagnostic tools. Please speak with your doctor if you have concerns about your uric acid levels or any diagnosed health conditions.
Your doctor can provide guidance on how best to use at-home uric acid tests.
