How It Feels

There is no pain while collecting a 24-hour urine sample.

Risks

There is no chance for problems while collecting a 24-hour urine sample.

Results

The uric acid urine test measures the amount of uric acid in a sample of urine collected over 24 hours.

The normal values listed here-called a reference range-are just a guide. These ranges vary from lab to lab, and your lab may have a different range for what?s normal. Your lab report should contain the range your lab uses. Also, your doctor will evaluate your results based on your health and other factors. This means that a value that falls outside the normal values listed here may still be normal for you or your lab.

Results are usually available in 1 to 2 days.

Women generally have slightly lower uric acid levels than men.

Many conditions can change uric acid levels. Your doctor will talk with you about any abnormal results that may be related to your symptoms and past health.

What Affects the Test

• Failing to collect exactly 24 hours of urine during a uric acid urine test can cause inaccurate test results.

High values

High uric acid levels may be caused by:

• Individual differences in the way your body produces or gets rid of uric acid.
• Conditions, such as:
  • Kidney disease or kidney damage.
  • The increased breakdown of body cells that occurs with some types of cancer (including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma) or cancer treatments, hemolytic anemia, sickle cell anemia, or heart failure.
  • Other disorders, such as alcohol dependence, preeclampsia, liver disease (cirrhosis), lipid disorders, obesity, psoriasis, hypothyroidism, and low blood levels of parathyroid hormone.
  • Starvation, malnutrition, or lead poisoning.
  • A rare inherited gene disorder called Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.
• Medicines, such as some diuretics, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), lower doses of aspirin (75 to 80 mg aspirin daily), niacin, and some medicines used to treat leukemia, lymphoma, or tuberculosis.
• Contrast material used for some X-ray tests.
• Eating foods that are very high in purines, such as organ meats (liver, brains), red meats (beef, lamb), game meat (deer, elk), and some seafood (sardines, herring, scallops).
• Drinking a lot of alcohol, especially beer.

Low values

Low uric acid levels may be caused by:

• Gout, when uric acid production is normal but uric acid removal by the kidneys is reduced.
• Kidney damage or disease that prevents the kidneys from filtering uric acid out of the blood into the urine.
• Folic acid deficiency or lead poisoning.
• Not eating enough protein.
• Some medicines, such as allopurinol, insulin, some diuretics, and high levels of aspirin.
• Drinking alcohol during the collection period.