Uric Acid Levels

Gout pain tells you that something is wrong, but fixing the pain does not fix your gout. If you do not reduce your uric acid, the gout pain will just keep coming back.

What Are Good Uric Acid Levels?

The important number that you need to know is how much uric acid is in your blood. The serum uric acid test tells you this.

Normally, uric acid crystallizes above 6.8mg/dL (.40 mmol/L), so anything above this is dangerous. Certainly, if you have ever had a gout attack, you should aim to maintain a uric acid level of around 6mg/dL (.35 mmol/L).

Uric Acid Test

The best way to measure uric acid is to arrange regular tests with your doctor. He will arrange for a small sample of your blood to be tested - the serum uric acid (sUA) test. Be careful to only discuss the exact number with him. Often labs give a high / normal / low assessment, but this is normally meaningless. Especially if you have had gout - there is no such thing as a normal uric acid level. You are either in danger, at risk, or safe.

Below 6 is safe, 6 to 6.8 is risky, and above 6.8 is dangerous.

Uric Blood Test At Home

If you cannot get regular tests from your doctor, or if you want some extra readings between "official" tests to monitor your progress, there is a uric acid monitor that you can use at home.

The monitor comes as a package with test strips, and a mini lancing device to take a sample drop of blood. Each test requires a new test strip, which slides into the testing monitor, to display your uric acid level. The unit can be changed to switch between traditional mg/dL units or the SI µmol/L units.

Personally, I find the device very easy to use, but the first few tests needed a bit of practice. The test strips rely on a single drop of blood large enough to fill the test area and I had to practice to become consistent.

After the first week of testing everyday, I soon had my test routine organized. Apart from the occasional odd looking result, I could soon see that the trend was as I expected.

Remember, uric acid levels do fluctuate from day to day, and throughout the day, and fluctuations are expected – even in "official tests" organized by your doctor.

When you order your kit from the worldwide distributor of this home uric acid test unit, it is a good idea to add an additional pack of test strips to the order. Please remember, on the payment confirmation screen when you checkout, to select GoutPal from the referrals list.

Next Steps For Managing Uric Acid Levels

Discuss uric acid levels in the gout forum, or learn more about how to manage uric acid levels.