Uric acid normal range: what your uric acid level means

Quick answer: the uric acid normal range is 3.0 to 7.1 mg/dL for women and 4.0 to 8.6 mg/dL for men (MedlinePlus). For people on treatment for gout, the 2020 American College of Rheumatology guideline sets a target of under 6 mg/dL, and MedlinePlus notes some patients aim for under 5. To convert mg/dL to µmol/L, multiply by 59.48 (uric acid's molar mass is about 168 g/mol).

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Uric acid normal range

Researchers often use tighter cutoffs than lab ranges. The NHANES analysis defined hyperuricemia as above 7.0 mg/dL in men and above 5.7 mg/dL in women, and found about 20% of US adults of each sex over that line in 2015 to 2016.

What uric acid is

Uric acid is a waste product made when the body breaks down purines, compounds found in your own cells and in foods such as red and organ meats, some seafood and beer. Most of it leaves through the kidneys. When too much is made or too little is cleared, it builds up and can form crystals in joints (gout) or the kidneys (stones).

Gout is common: in 2015 to 2016 it affected 3.9% of US adults, about 9.2 million people, including 5.2% of men and 2.7% of women (Chen-Xu et al, NHANES). Most people with high uric acid never develop gout, which is why a high number without symptoms is not usually treated with medicine.

What high uric acid means

MedlinePlus lists many causes of hyperuricemia. The most common everyday ones:

• Diet and drink: a purine-rich diet (red meat, organ meats, shellfish, anchovies, sardines, trout, tuna), alcohol, and fructose, including high-fructose corn syrup in soda
• Metabolic: obesity, and conditions such as diabetic ketoacidosis
• Kidney: kidney failure or reduced function, which slows clearance
• Medicines: diuretics, low-dose aspirin (salicylates), niacin, cyclosporine and tacrolimus
• Other: dehydration, excessive exercise, hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, psoriasis, lead poisoning, leukemia and chemotherapy

Because aspirin and niacin can change the result, MedlinePlus says to tell your provider about everything you take, but not to stop any medicine on your own.

What low uric acid means

A low uric acid is rarely a problem. MedlinePlus lists a low-purine diet, some medicines (including atorvastatin, losartan, fenofibrate and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), Fanconi syndrome, SIADH, HIV and inherited metabolic diseases.

Worked example

A 46-year-old man with no joint pain has a uric acid of 7.8 mg/dL (7.8 x 59.48 = 464 µmol/L). That sits inside the MedlinePlus men's range of 4.0 to 8.6, but above the 7.0 mg/dL hyperuricemia line researchers use and above the 6.0 target for people with gout. With no gout or kidney stones, the usual advice is lifestyle: less beer and sugary drinks, less red and organ meat, and weight loss if needed. If he later has a gout flare, the target becomes under 6 mg/dL on treatment, measured regularly.

A 58-year-old woman has 6.2 mg/dL: normal on the women's lab range (3.0 to 7.1) but above the 5.7 research cutoff for women. Without symptoms, it is a number to watch alongside kidney function rather than treat.

Where to test uric acid

How to prepare for the test

• Tell your provider about medicines. Aspirin and niacin (vitamin B3) can affect uric acid (MedlinePlus). Do not stop a medicine on your own.
• Avoid dehydration and very hard exercise before the draw. MedlinePlus lists both as causes of a high result.
• Keep your usual diet and drinking. A night of heavy drinking or a large meat or seafood meal can push the result up, while a crash diet can mislead the other way.
• Repeat at the same lab. On gout treatment, serial measurements guide dose changes toward the under-6 mg/dL target (ACR 2020).

Does SiPhox test uric acid?

No. Uric acid is not on any of SiPhox's six EasyDraw panels, and no SiPhox marker substitutes for it. If uric acid is the number you need, get it from a lab. What SiPhox does measure that is relevant: kidney function (creatinine, eGFR and BUN), which affects how well uric acid is cleared, and the metabolic markers that often run high alongside it, such as HbA1c and triglycerides. Creatinine is on Heart & Metabolic, Thyroid Focus, Ultimate 360 and GLP Optimization.

SiPhox is a wellness service with no doctor review included. See our kidney function test guide and SiPhox review for what it does cover.

A note on home samples: SiPhox's partner lab tests capillary blood collected from the upper arm. SiPhox says its results show a 95% to 99% correlation with venous draws in its own quarterly comparisons against Labcorp and Quest, but it has not published a study of the EasyDraw device. If a result would change a treatment decision, confirm it with a venous test through your doctor.

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