What is the cause of high blood uric acid and what are the dangers

Uric acid is a substance in human blood. Many people don’t know what high uric acid level is. This high uric acid level is likely caused by excessive uric acid production in the body. High blood uric acid levels can cause many harms to the human body, such as cardiovascular diseases.

1. Excessive production of uric acid in the body: About one-third of uric acid comes from food (exogenous), and two-thirds is synthesized by the body (endogenous). Excessive production of uric acid can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary. Primary uric acid elevation is caused by excessive uric acid synthesis, or enzyme defects in the body that lead to rapid synthesis of purines that make up uric acid. Secondary uric acid elevation is often seen in blood diseases, tumors, burns, etc., which result in large amounts of nucleic acid decomposition in the body.

2. Decreased uric acid excretion function: One third of the uric acid in the body is excreted through the bile duct and intestines, and two thirds is excreted through the kidneys. Excretion disorders are divided into three types: primary, secondary, and mixed. Primary disorders are mostly idiopathic or hereditary; secondary disorders are more common in renal dysfunction, dehydration, hyperthyroidism, acidosis, etc.; mixed disorders are more common in alcoholism, obesity, high purine, high-calorie diet, after strenuous exercise, etc.

3. In addition to stones, hyperuricemia also leads to acute and chronic uric acid nephropathy. Studies have shown that hyperuricemia itself is an important risk factor that aggravates the progressive development of various primary and secondary kidney diseases. Hyperuricemia is also associated with the occurrence of renal hypertrophy, renal function damage, glomerular sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis.

4. Increased blood uric acid is also closely related to the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. Studies have reported that for every 1 mg/dL increase in blood uric acid (i.e. 60 umol/L), the risk of coronary heart disease increases by 48%. A blood uric acid level >6 mg/dL is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease, and a blood uric acid level >7 mg/dL is an independent risk factor for stroke.