Urate

Women: 140 to 360 umol/L · Men: 200 to 430 umol/L

UK labs print separate ranges for women and men; the range for women rises after the menopause and is lower in pregnancy.

Urate, also called uric acid, is the end product of the body's breakdown of purines, which come from the body's own cells and from foods such as meat, offal, seafood and beer. It is cleared mostly by the kidneys. The test measures the amount dissolved in the blood.

Doctors most often request it when looking into painful joints, when someone is already known to have gout, or when checking the effect of medicines that lower urate. It is also part of some kidney and general health panels.

• A diet rich in red meat, offal, shellfish, beer or sugary drinks
• Reduced kidney filtering
• Water tablets (diuretics) and daily low-strength aspirin
• Being overweight, or a period of rapid weight loss
• Dehydration
• Conditions where cells turn over quickly

• Urate-lowering medicines such as allopurinol
• Pregnancy, in the early months
• Some medicines, including aspirin in large amounts and certain blood-pressure tablets
• A very low-purine diet

• A single meal or a few drinks the night before can push it up
• Fasting and dehydration on the day raise it
• It sits higher in men and in postmenopausal women in the general population

No fasting needed, though a heavy meal or alcohol the night before raises it. A value taken during a gout flare can be lower than usual, so doctors often repeat it a few weeks later.

Written by a UK consultant physician. Typical UK adult reference ranges; your laboratory's own printed range takes precedence.