What causes high uric acid levels?
Abnormal kidney function, excessive alcohol consumption, and improper diet can all lead to elevated uric acid levels. Elevated uric acid levels may result in symptoms such as weight gain, kidney stones, and joint pain and swelling. If any of these symptoms are present, it is important to seek medical attention promptly. Once elevated uric acid is confirmed, drug therapy should be initiated as soon as possible to control the condition. Additionally, maintaining a healthy weight and adjusting dietary habits are crucial.
It is important to understand that high uric acid levels can trigger kidney diseases, and conversely, kidney problems can also lead to elevated uric acid levels. Uric acid is filtered through the kidneys into the blood and then excreted through urine. Therefore, when kidney function declines, it cannot effectively filter uric acid from the blood, resulting in elevated uric acid levels.
Excessive alcohol consumption is not only harmful to the body, but it can also lead to elevated uric acid levels. Alcohol requires the liver's assistance for metabolism. When the liver metabolizes alcohol into acetic acid, it competes with uric acid metabolism in the blood, affecting the excretion of uric acid and causing its blood concentration to increase.
Uric acid is a weak acid produced by the body during the metabolism of foods containing purine nucleotides, which then enters the bloodstream. Therefore, consuming high-purine foods such as animal organs, anchovies, and beans can lead to the body metabolizing a large amount of uric acid, resulting in elevated uric acid levels.
