Low Uric Acid Levels in Blood

Low uric acid levels affect only 0.5 percent of the normal population each year, according to UpToDate. Uric acid is a chemical naturally produced and excreted by your body. While high blood levels of uric acid are common and may result in symptoms of gout, unusually low uric acid levels develop infrequently and are usually a sign of another underlying health condition. Your doctor can check the amount of uric acid in your body by performing a simple blood test. If you have questions or concerns regarding your blood levels of uric acid, seek additional care from your medical provider.

Healthy, normal blood levels of uric acid range between 3 and 7 mg/dL, according to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. If your uric acid blood levels fall beneath this range, you may have hypouricemia -- the medical term used to describe unusually low blood levels of uric acid.

Common causes of lower-than-normal uric acid levels include Wilson's disease -- a disease in which copper abnormally accumulates in your vital organs, and Fanconi syndrome -- a condition in which your kidneys allow certain waste products to be reabsorbed by your bloodstream rather than passing into your urine and out of your body. If your body fluids don't contain enough salt due to a condition called the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion or SIADH, the amount of uric acid in your blood may also be unusually low. In addition, consuming a diet low in purine -- a substance your body naturally converts to uric acid -- can also result in hypouricemia.

The type of symptoms you may experience due to low uric acid levels may vary depending upon the cause of your condition. Frequently, low uric acid levels do not cause noticeable symptoms. If you have low uric acid levels due to Fanconi syndrome, you may develop bone pain or feel unusually weak. You may also excrete unusually large volumes of urine, which can increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. People who have low uric acid due to Wilson's disease may develop body aches, diminished appetite, depression, fatigue, swelling of the limbs, shakiness, or difficulty walking, swallowing or speaking.

Your doctor is the only person qualified to recommend a particular treatment to raise your uric acid levels. Slightly low uric acid levels are not normally a cause for concern. In certain cases, simply increasing the amount of purine you consume as a part of your regular diet may help stabilize your blood levels of uric acid. Alternatively, your doctor may prescribe medication that specifically treats the cause of your low uric acid levels.