Hypouricemia

Hypouricemia is a condition where the level of uric acid is below a certain threshold (between 2 mg/dL and 4 mg/dL, according to different sources.) The upper end of the normal range is 530 micromol/L (6 mg/dL) for women and 619 micromol/L (7 mg/dL) for men. [1]

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Hypouricemia is associated with several conditions, including:

• Hyperthyroidism
• Nephritis
• Fanconi syndrome
• Wilson's disease
• Myeloma
• Multiple Sclerosis [2]

Half of the cases can be associated with drugs (allopurinol) and toxic agents. Uric acid clearance should also be performed, increase in clearance points to proximal tubular defects in the kidney, normal or reduced clearance points to a defect in xanthine oxidase.

It can also be associated with total parenteral nutrition. AJCN

Vegetarian diet has been found to result in mean serum uric acid values as low as 239 micromol/L (2.7 mg/dL) [3]. While a vegetarian diet is typically seen as beneficial with respect to conditions such as gout [4], care should be taken to avoid hypouricemia and associated health conditions.

A specific condition, Dalmatian hypouricemia, is known to have a genetic component. (Online 'Mendelian Inheritance in Man' (OMIM) 220150)

In one study, hypouricemia was found in 4.8% of hospitalized women and 6.5% of hospitalized men. (The definition was less than 0.14 mmol l-1 for women and less than 0.20 mmol l-1 in men.) PMID 8140400

See also

• Hyperuricemia