Blood Test

Uric Acid Test

Name: Uric Acid Test: Normal Range & High Uric Acid | HealthReview
Creator: Suman Konda
Published: 2026-07-05

Uric acid builds up in the blood when the kidneys can't clear it fast enough. High levels cause gout: sudden, excruciating joint pain. Here's what your result means.

Written and clinically reviewed by Suman Konda, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist · Based on peer-reviewed sources · Editorial policy · Not medical advice

Last reviewed and updated: 01 August 2026 · How we check our content

What is a Uric Acid test?

Uric acid is a waste product formed when your body breaks down purines: substances found in red meat, organ meats, shellfish, alcohol (especially beer) and some vegetables. Normally the kidneys filter uric acid out in urine. When production is too high or kidneys are underperforming, uric acid builds up (hyperuricaemia), forming crystals that deposit in joints and cause gout, or in the kidneys, causing kidney stones.

Uric Acid Normal Range

Group	Normal Range (mg/dL)	Status
Men	3.5 – 7.2	Normal
Women	2.6 – 6.0	Normal
Children	2.0 – 5.5	Normal
Gout risk (men)	> 7.2	High
Gout risk (women)	> 6.0	High

What does HIGH uric acid mean?

HIGH Uric acid above normal: Hyperuricaemia

High uric acid (hyperuricaemia) has several causes: high-purine diet (red meat, organ meats, beer, fructose-rich drinks), dehydration, kidney disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, certain medicines (diuretics, low-dose aspirin, cyclosporine), and cancer treatment (tumour lysis syndrome). Many people with high uric acid have no symptoms. This is called asymptomatic hyperuricaemia. But gout attacks, kidney stones or chronic kidney disease can develop over time.

What is Gout?

Gout: sudden severe joint pain

Gout occurs when uric acid crystals deposit in a joint, causing sudden intense pain, swelling, redness and warmth: most commonly in the big toe. Attacks often start at night and peak within 24 hours. The joint may be so painful that even a bedsheet touching it feels unbearable. First gout attack? See your doctor immediately. Uric-acid-lowering medicines (allopurinol, febuxostat) are highly effective long-term.

What does LOW uric acid mean?

LOW Uric acid below 2 mg/dL

Low uric acid is rare and less clinically significant. It can occur with certain kidney diseases, liver disease, or use of medications like losartan or high-dose aspirin. Some researchers believe very low uric acid may be associated with multiple sclerosis risk, but this is not fully established.

Questions to ask your doctor

Do I need medication or just dietary changes?
Which foods should I specifically avoid?
Should I check my kidney function too?
How much water should I drink daily?

Frequently asked questions

What is worth asking a doctor about an abnormal Uric Acid?

Whether it needs repeating, whether a medicine or recent illness explains it, how far outside the range it actually falls, and whether it changes management or simply needs watching. Those four questions cover most of what matters.

Is a slightly abnormal Uric Acid a reason to worry?

Rarely on its own. Reference intervals are built to contain the middle 95% of a healthy population, so mild deviations are common in well people. The size of the deviation, its direction over time and your symptoms decide whether it means anything.

Does age or sex affect the Uric Acid reference range?

For several analytes it does, which is why some reports print separate intervals. Where your laboratory gives an age or sex-specific range for Uric Acid, that range takes precedence over any general figure.

References

The clinical information on this page is drawn from peer-reviewed sources indexed by the US National Library of Medicine. Links go to the source so you can read it yourself.

Hyperuricemia. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. NCBI Bookshelf NBK459218