Where can I buy an Accurate Uric Acid Monitor?

[O’Herlihy Pat]

I have had my first attack of gout and am very anxious to reduce my uric acid level without medication. Can anyone recommend an accurate home monitoring meter. The one I have does not seem to give accurate readings. Cost is not the issue but if it can be purchased in the UK that would be best. I will get one from the USA if necessary

Thank you Pat

[Gout Patient]

I have read information on this website about uric acid meters and understand the pros and cons. I definitely want to get one to help ensure that I am taking the correct dose of allopurinol. I don’t want to wait 6 months to go back to my doc only to find out that “gee, we really should up your dose” or whatever. Once stabilized, I doubt I will need it often, but for now, starting allopurinol in the last couple months, I think it is important to verify the results and correctly adjust the dose if necessary. I live in the United States, and there does not seem to be many available here. I see one type on Amazon with relatively poor ratings and many complaints of inaccuracy. I see a couple types on Ebay and I have no idea if they are good or bad. I see one place advertising in Florida, but they have conflicting info on the website, and don’t tell you the brand. I call the 800 “support” number and get nothing but ads and no support, so it appears to be a bogus support line. Therefore, I do not trust that website. I don’t mind paying for a good meter and test strips, but I would like to know I am getting “the real thing” and something that actually works if used correctly. I would appreciate anyone else with experience using these to let me know if they have had good results, if they can recommend a good one (or a bad one to avoid for that matter). I realize the best thing would be to go to the doc every month or so, and have a lot of blood work done for kidneys, liver, uric acid, etc., but the doc says come back in 6 months. Plus each time I go it costs me hundreds of dollars so if I can get a reliable meter I can check at home and only go to the doc at 6 month intervals. Thanks.

[Keith Taylor]

I’m really sorry Robert, I completely missed your post last year. I’ve just spotted it while tidying. So, I moved it here.

I completely agree with your points about customer service. To me, it is the most important part of buying a uric acid tester. Because, without good customer support, you are probably wasting your money.

Anyway, if you still want to buy a meter, let me know. I can recommend a source who supplies to the USA, and has good customer support.

[Chris Starkey]

Urit 10 test strips

Hi all,
does anyone know if the test strips from an easytouch machine can be used in a Urit 10 machine?
I purchased a Urit machine & am pleased with it but there seems to be a shortage of suppliers for test strips – whereas there are loads for the easytouch machine.

Or does anyone know where I can purchase some strips for a Urit 10 machine?

many thanks
Chris

[Keith Taylor]

Great question Chris!

I’m on it right now. I hope to be back with some more information soon.

Out of interest, where did you buy your Urit-10?

More importantly Chris, how are you progressing with controlling your uric acid? ❓

[Chris Starkey]

Hi Keith,
I bought the tester from Ebay a while ago and then I bought some extra strips a year later but they have stopped selling them now 🙁
I’m not sure exactly how my uric acid level is at the moment as I have only a very few strips left. Over the last 18 months it has been between 520 and 245 so quite a difference. Sometimes when I am having an attack it is quite low & one doctor says this is because all the acid is crystals in my joints causing the attack.
I am still trying to find a doctor who suffers from Gout to find what they do!
I have seen at least 6 different ones & they all have different views on it!!
At present I am on Febuxostat after Allopurinol didn’t seem to cope but in hindsight I don’t think I gave it long enough to settle. Apparently it can take up to 9 months to stabilise.
The biggest problem is obviously finding what triggers the attacks. I found if I stop drinking or start exercising or change diet or any variation to my normal routine it can trigger an attack.
My neighbour has kept a detailed food diary for about 3 years & he still can’t work out what causes his! He has finally started allopurinol & it seems to be working for him so far.

All in all I am reasonably happy with the febuxostat but still get occasional twinges & have to take indometacin as well but only 1 or 2 a week. I am concerned my joints are going to suffer because of the crystals so am going to see a joint specialist next month for advice – I have managed to loose 2 stone in the last 2 years by going to the gym & moderating my alcohol intake but get a lot of pain when running sometimes so want to see if I am doing more harm than good by doing it!

cheers
Chris
ps Does anyone know a fellow gout suffering doctor??

[Keith Taylor]

Fascinating information, Chris!

I’m expecting information back on uric acid test strip availability after the weekend, but not sure exactly when.

I’ve got lots to say about your latest information. But, I don’t have time to write it all now. I hope to be back tomorrow with some answers and opinions.

Speaking of opinions, I’m not convinced we want a doctor who is a gout sufferer. We want one who understands patients – specifically, who understands you!

I’m going to help you ask the right questions so that your doctor has no choice. He’ll have to treat you properly.

In the meantime, if you want to continue your quest, it might help if you let people know which part of the world you want to find your gouty doctor.

Thank you for your fascinating response.

[Keith Taylor]

@chris-starkey Hey Chris,

What do you think about my views on gout doctors? Is there somewhere I should start looking for your gouty doctor? Or, do you agree with me that it doesn’t really matter?

I’m still waiting for some information from the Urit-10 company. To be fair, I’ve never dealt with them before, so I’m not sure if I’ve contacted the right person. I’ll give it a few days, and remind them. Can you help me do that, Chris? I’m very forgetful. If I don’t post an update here, please post another reply, to wake me up. I tried to-do lists, but had to stop when I had a list of 10 to-do lists. 😉

Anyway, please can you thank your neighbour. He’s the inspiration for Is Gout Like Rising Damp?

[Chris Starkey]

Hi Keith,
thanks for the link – I’ve sent it to my neighbour.
Have you heard anything back about the test strips yet?

cheers
Chris

[Keith Taylor]

Thanks for the wake up call Chris 🙂

I’ve heard absolutely nothing from Urit-10 manufacturers. Let’s try a different approach. Can you give me all the details of the eBay seller you bought your uric acid test meter from? Also, any company information on the uric acid meter box and packaging.

As much info as possible always works best for me. Typing it all in is a pain. But, if you can photograph stuff, you can send me the uric acid meter information as an attachment when you create a ticket in the Helpdesk.

[Chris Starkey]

Hi Keith,
well it’s several months later & I’m afraid I can’t find any record of who I purchased my Urit 10 tester from. Ebay don’t seem to keep records that far back 🙁
Did you or anyone else on the forums have any luck finding a supplier?

cheers
Chris

[Keith Taylor]

I never got a response from the Urit manufacturer. But, I might have a lead on a distributer. I think they are in the UK. Is that any good? Do you (or any other Urit-10 owners) want me to ask about shipping rates to USA or other countries?

While I’m waiting, Chris, I have a question I should have asked before.

Why are you bothering with a home test meter when you are taking febuxostat (Uloric)? Is your doctor not doing this for you? I always recommend that gout sufferers get a blood test at least once a year. The test should include uric acid, kidney function, and liver function. The function tests are particularly important for anyone who takes gout medicines, including herbal medicines. In rare cases, uric acid medicines can interfere with kidney or liver function.

This is especially important in the case of febuxostat. See Uloric Liver Warnings for more.

[Chris Starkey]

I am in the UK Keith so that would be good for me.
The tester is just for my own curiosity really. When I had a blood test at the doctors during an attack a while ago my level was very low & she said it normally is during an attack as all the acid is crystallised – so I’m not really sure the readings are that much use as a one off, but if they are taken regularly you can get a picture overall of your levels.
I went to see a specialist last September to ask his advice about exercising during ‘attacks’ and had a blood test then but have heard nothing back so assume everything is OK.
Although I am taking febuxostat every day and generally my gout is under control & no major attacks, I still get pain in my hips & ankles & other joints and am trying to work out if that is gout or just old age!(I’m 56) but with regular tests I could see if my uric acid levels are changing or staying the same & this might answer my question.
He said exercise was good by the way and I’m doing a lot now – which seems to be helping as well. I just didn’t want to wear away my joints with acid crystals!

You are quite correct about febuxostat & liver & kidney tests – after a doctor prescribed it for me as an alternative to allopurinol (which didn’t seem to work for me – although I don’t think I gave it long enough to settle down) she phoned me on a Sunday after 6 months to say I should stop taking it because she didn’t realise I should have had a liver & kidney test to see if it had affected me! Luckily I was due one the next day & everything was good.

I am still looking for a doctor who has gout to get their take on it!

cheers
Chris

[Keith Taylor]

Ooops! It turns out that the lead I had is for a completely different product that uses “Urit” in it’s product description. From everything I’ve seen so far, I think this is a dead brand.

I’m still not convinced that there is any merit in home testing. Unless you are trying to develop your own bespoke gout treatment plan. If that was the case, I’d use a UASure uric acid meter. They have the technical support to answer queries properly. And a track record long enough to instil commercial confidence.

Nobody has taken me up on my free offer of my old UASure meter, if you pay for shipping from UK. I wonder if anyone will convince me they deserve it before my next clearout?

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Pat,
Issues with uric acid meters are mostly due to the way they are used. But,quality may be a problem with some test kits.
I recommend the uasure meter. Mostly because they have excellent technical support. Or they did when I used mine. In fact, I’m happy to let you have my meter for nothing, if you pay the postage. Or, I’m more than happy to meet you. I’m in Yorkshire. Where are you?

I’m not convinced that having your own meter is the best way to go. My first question is: what part does the meter play in your treatment plan?
My second question is: what is your step-by-step testing routine? ‘Prick and hope’ will not work on any brand of uric acid monitor.

Accuracy is important for Uric Acid Monitor choice. But, not the only factor.

[Mcypkin]

Uric Acid Testing Kit

Would like to know which uric acid testing kit is best. I saw you mentioned two somewhere on your website the other day, but now can’t find it.

Thank you.

[Robert Brazee]

Utica acid test kit

Is there any Uric acid test kits that are made in the USA?

If so which ones are your favorites?

[Carroll Lee]

Possibility of skewed Uric Acid test results?

Sorry for the bombardment of ques……one more and I’ll shut up. I haven’t seen this point brought up. have read that prior to taking a UA blood test one should abstain from eating/drinking 4 hrs prior to the test and make it known if you have taken any aspirin/ibuprofen. alcohol and vit.c which might skew test results. my GP never mentioned this. could this fact point to a possible need for a home uric acid tester? don’t know whether I would totally trust the home tester results but it would at least give you a trend

[Mark]

I have a home tester and I check it almost every day. I have found that taking it right when I wake up is the most consistent. If you do hard exercise it can get quite high, but then come down in 12h or so. Also, if you do not get a nice, fat drop of blood it seems to screw up the results. If the drop is thin and spread out and you try to “sweep it up” with the strip, it can give weird results. I think mine is called “good life”. I had one day where I checked it at home right after at a doctor and it was within 0.2 mg/DL. A few times, I have done back-to-back and gotten pretty close numbers. Also, checked mine and someone else’s back to back and have shown that a non-gout person can be very low compared to mine (I was starting to wonder if mine read the same number all of the time – no luck). I am going to guess that taking it every day is overkill and can be disappointing, but I have been doing it anyway, trying to learn the effects. For the last 5 months I have drastically changed my eating and drinking habits and started taking supplements. I would say it is a very slow process, but since Oct – no real flare ups. It had been almost 3 years since my first and only “big toe” flare up (which I wrote off as an injury) and my huge flare up in every joint, plus a kidney stone and 5 lumps showing up on my leg. That big flare up was 5 months ago and as far as I know is my second and currently last bout. I am not a doc, and as Keith says, some people can go years between flare ups with no effort at all, so I would not place any merit in my results as far as saying something works or doesn’t work. If going vegetarian and eliminating almost all alcohol doesn’t keep me in the clear, I am definitely going to go the prescription route next.

[Keith Taylor]

sorry for the bombardment of ques……one more and i’ll shut up.

Please don’t shut up. I need the questions! Without them, this forum fails.

I do wonder though, Carroll and Mark. Why does a discussion about uric acid test results not have an actual test result?

Anyway, the general rule is that uric acid varies naturally. So, although you get an exact number, it’s better to think of a range. For example, if your result is 7, best to think it’s 6.5 to 7.5. And, it’s better to test at the same time of day. I’ve no idea why “aspirin/ibup. alcohol and vit.c ” might skew results. If you give me a reference to where you read that, I can assess it.

[Mark]

Sorry Keith, I am the guy who posted the excel chart with all of my results. Just haven’t updated it in a while.

[Steve Krause]

Yes, I am also thinking about buying a uric acid meter.

First posting on this forum:
I am in my sixties. I have had gout attacks over the last five years. About 3 or 4 a year. They go away as quickly as they come on when I take Cholcisine and Ibuprofen as soon as feel the attack.

Cholcisine = Colchicine

I also have had kidney stones and bladder stones. Recently had a procedure to blast apart the huge bladder stone that grew in my bladder. The stones are mostly from uric acid.
I also have had psoriasis for many years. One of my doctors has told me that excess skin production, which is what is happening with psoriasis, raises the uric acid levels.
Recently badly sprained my foot and it triggered a gout attack in that foot. Then accommodating the boot and limping I was doing caused problems in the other foot. Some swelling like gout and maybe just muscle and tendon/ligament problems. Saw a rheumatologist that suggested it might also be psoriatic arthritis, since he could see some minor bone joint problems in the foot x-rays.
I am considering whether to take medication for psoriatic arthritis and also take medication for gout. Tried Allopurinol a year ago. Found from a followup lab test about 6 weeks into it that the uric acid was lowering but had to stop because the lab test showed kidneys were not working as well, but maybe that was because I was taking ibuprofen often at the same time.
I am considering trying it again but would like to see what I can do with diet change and see if I can lower the uric acid level without it.

Regarding diet change: I’ve never been much of a beer drinker so that was easy to stop. I do like one or two oz of vodka, gin or tequila on a Friday night. Not much wine. Dropped the shell fish, I eat red meat once or twice a week but not large amounts, usually. The one thing that I think I’ve noticed that does trigger gout sometimes is Vietnamese soups. Maybe it’s the broth. But even that doesn’t always cause an attack, but it does sometimes. I am drinking lots of green veggies and trying to drink at least half as much water as I know I should, for both gout and kidney stones, and general health.

Regarding a blood level monitor: are there any comparison tests out there as to which monitors are more accurate? Also, what is the general opinion about how often do you use the device. Every day? Every week? Every month?

[Keith Taylor]

Thanks Steve,

Here’s my thoughts on uric acid meters, off-the-cuff.

First, consider reasons for uric acid tests. Initially, they are diagnostic. Is the result over 5mg/dL? Then, gout is the most likely diagnosis, so start treatment.

Uric acid lowering treatment always works best when you have a plan. It does not need to be elaborate, but it needs to cover:
1. Long term target – less than 5mg/dL, unless there are confounding factors.
2. Short term target – doctors are never trained in this. So, only the ones who can think for themselves give valid responses. It’s OK to consider this each time you have a uric acid test. But, the key point is that there is a period of time when you are getting rid of old uric acid crystals (debulking period). It is the worst-managed medical phenomenon I have ever encountered. The short form of that rant is “For first six months of uric acid lowering, get uric acid level as low as possible”.
3. Pain control during the debulking period.

So, now we have a setting where uric acid tests are needed to monitor and adjust the treatment plan. So, I can answer:

Regarding a blood level monitor: are there any comparison tests out there as to which monitors are more accurate? Also, what is the general opinion about how often do you use the device. Every day? Every week? Every month?

Uric acid test monitor comparison
To my knowledge, there are no such comparisons. The innards of uric acid test kits are very similar. But, it’s a product, and so it needs product support. Therefore, do research on the company before you buy. Or, give me names of the ones you are considering buying, and I’ll research them for you.

Uric acid test frequency
The reason I wrote about uric acid lowering plans because testing frequency is governed by the plan. And, my usual advice is: if you are using prescription meds of any kind, leave testing to your doctor. Because, it’s vital to monitor liver and kidney function when you are taking gout medicine. I also believe those tests are vital if you are taking herbal gout medicine.

But, if you are self-treating with lifestyle changes, a uric acid meter can be useful. But, only if you make testing an integral part of your plan.

I wasted a lot of time with daily testing when I used my meter. But, at that time, I didn’t understand gout properly. Like you, Steve, I didn’t understand gout triggers. I cannot conceive of a uric acid treatment plan that would benefit from daily testing. Surely, weekly is the minimum intervention time? However, there is another science principle that says more data makes analysis more reliable. So, you can consider that.

My best advice is:
Uric acid test every month for the first six months. Then, increase frequency depending on stability of results. Always test at least once per year, for the rest of your life.

But, you need a good uric acid treatment plan for that to make sense. For most gout sufferers, it’s best to leave uric acid testing to your doctor.

[d q]

@Keith, good to know your based in the UK! For some reason I thought you were based in the USA.. 🙂

[Keith Taylor]

Yes, d_q! More specifically, Yorkshire born and bred. Maybe I cause confusion by affecting USA spelling most of the time. But, that’s out of respect for my American readers, who make up the vast majority of my audience.

With regard to accurate uric acid monitoring at home, there is some significance. Because the uric acid test kit that I am familiar with is UK based UASure. However, they sell and support their kit worldwide. So, as well as first-line support from the global distributors, I can give first-hand experience as well. And, if it’s ever required, it’s easy for me to contact the distributor to resolve any issues.

[GoutPal Seeker]

@keith Have you seen this study?

Paraskos, Jonathan, Zsofia Berke, Jason Cook, Jeffrey N. Miner, Martin Braddock, Adam Platt, and Glen Hughes. “An analytical comparison between point-of-care uric acid testing meters.” Expert review of molecular diagnostics 16, no. 3 (2016): 373-382.

It seems to indicate the Benecheck Plus and HumaSens Plus meters are the most accurate. But I can’t seem to find either for sale in the US, hmmmm.

[Keith Taylor]

I missed that report comparing different home test kits for uric acid.

So, thanks for sharing it, Kenneth. It’s interesting that the uric acid meter they dismissed as too difficult to use, is the only one I’ve tried!

[Polymer Chemist]

Hello everyone,
I posted elsewhere but I think this might be the best thread. I’m a Ph.D researcher looking to help people with gout monitor their uric acid levels. One of the things that my team is looking at is continuous monitoring of uric acid levels non-invasively (i.e. not a blood test).

I’m looking to get in touch with some of you, through this forum. So, please see my topic: Continuous uric acid monitoring.

[Keith Taylor]

I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve changed your post to keep discussion of your research in one place. Because, this thread is about buying uric acid meters.

Now, once you have something that people can buy into, I’d welcome your input about how people can get practical value from your research. That might be specific invitations to take part in trials. Or, updates about where your process is available commercially, or medically.

It’s exciting to be involved with your research into new ways to help gout sufferers. But, I don’t want to confuse people who are reading this topic for practical advice on currently available ways to monitor uric acid.

If you agree, there’s no need to reply to this. Otherwise, I’ll be happy to read your views. In the meantime, I’ll add my comments to your main topic: Continuous uric acid monitoring

[Daykris]

Are the various uric acid meters effective aids for monitoring uric acid levels? I don’t know how sensitive/responsive uric acid levels are–do they change significantly w/in a day? I know that getting dehydrated has caused flare ups–would I be able to catch that w a uric acid meter? I have found using a glucose meter very helpful in monitoring blood sugar levels.

Is there any comparison info available on the different meters? I am in the US–most of the meters seem to come from the UK.

Thank you

[Keith Taylor]

Generally speaking, uric acid meters are effective. But, a lot depends on your personal reasons for wanting to monitor uric acid. Especially, what you want to achieve from the results. Significantly, I’ve never seen anything to suggest that uric acid meters can predict gout flares. Just like a speedometer won’t accurately predict a road traffic accident.

Most uric acid meters are manufactured in China and Taiwan. The important thing is to find a supplier with good pre-sales and after-sales support. So, I recommend UASure from Arctic Medical. Because they offer good service throughout the world.

In conclusion, there are some situations where uric acid meters are very effective and useful for gout management. But, they depend on your gout history, and how you want to manage your gout in future. So, I recommend you start a new topic. Then, you can explain more about what you hope to achieve.

[UASure USA]

In the USA, you can try https://www.urictest.com/

[p p]

To find accurate Uric Acid Test Machine put
“Analytical Evaluation of Point of Care Uric Acid Tests” into Google Search and download the pdf. Bencheck & HumaSans are reccommended as the only accurate machines

[Keith Taylor]

Personally, I remain unconvinced by that report. Because it ignores the most important aspect of buying any uric acid test kit. That is, you must establish a relationship with the supplier. Because you will need aftercare.

Also, that report doesn’t explain the specific problem with the UASure model. So I’m baffled. Because it’s easy to use, has proven accuracy, and if you can’t use it you should leave testing to the professionals. As such, I think very few gout sufferers will get much benefit from a home uric acid test.

[Sue Ashbridge]

Uric acid level measurements

I just got Uric acid level results given as 0.6, having to guess that this is probably mmol/L. Is there a method for converting this figure into mg/dL please. I see the chart opposite…..and I seem to be off it!

Many other sites only deal in mg/dL so this would be really handy for me. Thank you,

[nobody]

0.6 converts to 10.1
0.6 isn’t all that rare but best make sure you got the number and unit right!

[kim Chin]

Hi, I live in Australia.
Are ” home test – Uric Acid ” instruments available in Australia?

Alternatively; can I purchase one from the USA and have it posted?

Please give me contacts of vendors if you have them.

Kind regards,

[posted from a reply to email update list]

[UASure USA]

Hello Kim,

Yes, you can purchase a uric acid meter from UASure USA and have it shipped to Australia.

[kim Chin]

Thanks GoutPal’s Network, appreciated.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.[via email update list reply]

——– Original message ——–
From: GoutPal Support Services Update
Date: 27/03/2018 16:27 (GMT+10:00)

[Mike Trieu]

Don’t mean to necropost, but I just stumbled across this forum and decided to look up current research on point-of-care uric acid testing meters on Google Scholar. There’s a relatively new (to this forum, anyway) study from May 2, 2018 that looked into the HumaSens meter. Thought it might be of potential interest to us fellow gout sufferers.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-018-1585-0

Edit: I thought this section was particularly interesting:

“To improve the results and avoid using capillary UA target threshold values different from the plasma UA threshold commonly used, HumaSensplus devices could be recalibrated by using the linear regression formula capillary UA = 39.21 + 0.85 × plasma UA.”

That’s comforting to know it can sync with the “ground truth” after purchase.

[Author]

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