Hyperuricemia

Definition

Elevation of serum urate beyond the limit of its solubility, or elevation beyond the central 95% of the distribution of urate levels in the same sex and age in a healthy population.

Full Text

The physicochemical definition of hyperuricemia is a true serum urate level above 7 mg/100 ml. This value corresponds to a concentration of 7.5 mg or higher/100 ml for men and values higher than 6 mg/100 ml for women as determined by automatic uricase analysers. Values in excess of these increase the risk for gout and urinary tract stones. Serum urate levels are lower in children, rising with puberty, and they rise in women with the onset of menopause. The prevalence of hyperuricemia varies among different peoples; for example from less than 3 % in one area in England to more than 40% among Polynesians. "The associates of a high uric acid are the associates of plenty." The pathogenesis of hyperuricemia is complex, reflecting dietary purine intake and de novo purine synthesis on the one...