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How can high uric acid levels be controlled?

Dr Irwin Ziment
Professor of Medicine,
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA

Q: I am a 24 years old man having a high uric acid level of 6.00 mg/dl. My height is 5.4 feet and weight is 67 kg. The doctor says that at my age, uric acid level should be below 4.5 mg/dl. I am take Alopore 100 mg before breakfast. He suggested to avoid purine rich food like spinach, rajmah, masoor ki dal, poultry items, red meat, carrots, etc. I am having the increased level of uric acid for the last 3.5 years. I have pain in my back, lower waist, and below my foot. The doctor said it was because of my uric acid level. Do these problems persist for life? Is it a kidney disease? Do I have to maintain these diet restrictions and be under medication for the rest of my life?

A:The problem of high uric acid in the blood is that the patient is susceptible to gout problems throughout his/her life. The gout may be manifest in various joints and may be activated with trauma or stress and treatment should be taken into consideration in multiplying lifestyle. Efforts should be made to eliminate high purine intake in the diet. A supply of indocin and colchicine may be needed for pain episodes. Colchicine in particular may be toxic and this must be used in moderation. In many cases of joint pain, simple analgesics such as Tylenol (paracetamol) maybe sufficient. Joint pain may subside. In most cases, a joint pain and swelling subside. In severe cases, which do not respond to treatment, more toxic agent would be required. Gout is damaging to joints in worse cases. Uric acid stones may cause renal problems. Gout has a wide range of manifestation and the results are very variable and liable to occur in family with histories of gout.