Safe Uric Acid Levels

April 18, 2018

March 4, 2014

I list a range of safe uric acid levels in my Uric Acid Level Ranges. The simplest way of describing safe uric acid levels is to say that 5 or under is safe. However, that overlooks some safety issues that I will deal with below.

Safe Uric Acid Levels Measurement Scale

Though the most predominant scale for uric acid measurement is mg/dL, other scales are used, and mixing them up means disaster.

In cooking, you might confuse grams and ounces. In gout, you might confuse mg/dL with mmol/L or with μmol/L.

In most cases it is obvious as mg/dL is usually in single figures or tens; mmol/L is normally in decimal fractions, and μmol/L is normally in hundreds. Unfortunately, people remember the numbers, and forget the scale. I’ve heard from many gout sufferers who think they are safe because they remember their uric acid number as “4 or something.” If they actually mean 0.40 mmol/L, they are not safe.

Always be sure of your uric acid number, and always quote the measurement scale.

Safe Uric Acid Levels

To be safe your uric acid level must be at or below:

5mg/dl or 0.30mmol/L or 300μmol/L

You can convert uric acid concentration between different measurement scales with my uric acid calculator.

Safe Uric Acid Levels Warnings

It is good that your uric acid level is safe, but please check these important facts:

Uric acid level is not static. You should get it checked regularly. At least once a year is OK. If you are just starting uric acid lowering treatment, or if your uric acid level is unstable for any other reason, you should check more frequently.
Prolonged exposure to cold can lower the crystallization point for uric acid. You should not be troubled by brief exposure to cold, as uric acid crystals grow very slowly. However, cold-room workers, fishermen, Arctic explorers or anyone else who is in cold conditions for long periods should aim lower than 4mg/dL.
In the early months of uric acid lowering treatment, you should aim lower than 5mg/dL. Lower uric acid levels cause old crystal deposits to dissolve faster, which reduces the length of time you are at risk from gout flares.

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