What causes hyperuricemia?
Causes of high uric acid levels (hyperuricemia) can be primary (increased uric acid levels due to purine), and secondary (high uric acid levels due to another disease or condition). Sometimes, the body produces more uric acid than it is able to excrete.
Causes of high uric acid levels include:
Primary hyperuricemia
Increased production of uric acid from purine
Your kidneys cannot get rid of the uric acid in your blood, resulting in high levels
Secondary hyperuricemia
Certain cancers, or chemotherapy agents may cause an increased turnover rate of cell death. This is usually due to chemotherapy, but high uric acid levels can occur before chemotherapy is administered.
After chemotherapy, there is often a rapid amount of cellular destruction, and tumor lysis syndrome may occur. You may be at risk for tumor lysis syndrome if you receive chemotherapy for certain types of leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, if there is a large amount of disease present.
Kidney disease - this may cause you to not be able to clear the uric acid out of your system, thus causing hyperuricemia.
Medications - can cause increased levels of uric acid in the blood
Endocrine or metabolic conditions -certain forms of diabetes, or acidosis can cause hyperuricemia
Elevated uric acid levels may produce kidney problems, or none at all. People may live many years with elevated uric acid levels, and they do not develop gout or gouty arthritis (arthritis means "joint inflammation"). Only about 20% of people with elevated uric acid levels ever develop gout, and some people with gout do not have significantly elevated uric acid levels