Increase in Uric Acid due to Weight Loss / Illness?

[the-avenger]

Hi Guys,

First post on the forum so hope this is in the right section!

Just briefly I’m a 23 year old male, good blood pressure, pulse and oxygen saturation however a few months ago I felt I could lose a bit of weight and so I set about doing this. Since July I’ve managed to lose 1 stone, however I haven’t been very organised with regards to steady eating.

A few weeks ago I had a serious case of the flu and was completely out of action for 7 days, a few days after this I had my first gout attack in my right big too. I saw my doctor, got a blood test done and it was confirmed that I had high levels of uric acid. He recommended to get back to him if and when the next gout attack happens.

I’d like to understand whether the illness I had just before the gout attack or the weight loss I’ve been undergoing since early summer could have anything to do with the increase of Uric Acid?

Do let me know

[Cujo]

From what I know, agressive losing weight is not recommended for people with gout or with the risk of this illness. I do not know the reasons for this but met with such an argument in a bunch of articles on the internet. I do not think the flu had anything to do with gout.

If you previously had only one attack, then I would have waited with the diagnosis of gout. If possible, examine the synovial fluid and consult with the rheumatologist (not GP) to rule out diseases other than gout.

[Keith Taylor (GoutPal Admin)]

There are many things that can increase uric acid. Rapid weight loss = cell death = high uric acid. Serious illness = cell death = high uric acid. Bad eating habits can lead to increased uric acid in two ways. Uric acid can come from food, but most of it comes from our own bodies as cells die. If poor nutrition, or fasting, leads to lots of cells dying quickly, then uric acid rises. These factors are relevant, but if you have gout, it is not likely to go away just by eating sensibly. There are a few people who have gout just because their diet is bad. In those cases, healthy eating can stop gout. For most gout sufferers, improving diet is not enough to make uric acid safe. At the next gout attack, take your doctor’s advice and get back to him so you can control your uric acid.

[the-avenger]

Cheers, for the replies guys. Let’s hope that next attack doesn’t come but if it does I’ll make sure I head to the doc so I can get my uric acid levels under control.

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