Test ID: URIC
Uric Acid, Serum
Secondary ID 
A test code used for billing and in test definitions created prior to November 2011
NY State Approved Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.
Useful For Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful
Uric acid measurements are used in the diagnosis and treatment of renal failure and monitoring patients receiving cytotoxic drugs and a variety of other disorders, including gout, leukemia, psoriasis, starvation and other wasting conditions.
Method Name A short description of the method used to perform the test
Photometric, Uricase/Quinone-Imine Dye Formation
Reporting Name A shorter/abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test; an abbreviated test name
Specimen Type Describes the specimen type needed for testing
Specimen Required Defines the optimal specimen. This field describes the type of specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing. The volume allows automated processing, fastest throughput and, when indicated, repeat or reflex testing.
Container/Tube:
Preferred: Serum gel
Acceptable: Red top
Specimen Volume: 0.5 mL
Additional Information: Patient's age and sex are required.
Specimen Minimum Volume Defines the amount of specimen required to perform an assay once, including instrument and container dead space. Submitting the minimum specimen volume makes it impossible to repeat the test or perform confirmatory or perform reflex testing. In some situations, a minimum specimen volume may result in a QNS (quantity not sufficient) result, requiring a second specimen to be collected.
Reject Due To Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected
| Hemolysis | Mild OK; Gross reject |
| Lipemia | NA |
| Icterus | NA |
| Other | NA |
Specimen Stability Information Provides a description of the temperatures required to transport a specimen to the laboratory. Alternate acceptable temperature(s) are also included.
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Serum | Refrigerated (preferred) | 7 days |
| Frozen | 180 days |
Clinical Information Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test
Uric acid is the final product of purine metabolism in humans. Purines, compounds that are vital components of nucleic acids and coenzymes, may be synthesized in the body or they may be obtained by ingesting foods rich in nucleic material (eg, liver, sweetbreads, etc.). Approximately 75% of the uric acid excreted is lost in the urine; most of the remainder is secreted into the gastrointestinal tract, where it is degraded to allantoin and other compounds by bacterial enzymes.
Asymptomatic hyperuricemia is frequently detected through biochemical screening. The major causes of hyperuricemia are increased purine synthesis, inherited metabolic disorder, excess dietary purine intake, increased nucleic acid turnover, malignancy, cytotoxic drugs, and decreased excretion due to chronic renal failure or increased renal reabsorption. Long-term follow-up of these patients is undertaken because many are at risk of renal disease that may develop; few of these patients ever develop the clinical syndrome of gout.
Hypouricemia, often defined as serum urate less than 2.0 mg/dL, is much less common than hyperuricemia. It may be secondary to severe hepatocellular disease with reduced purine synthesis; defective renal tubular reabsorption; overtreatment of hyperuricemia with allopurinol and well as some cancer therapies (eg, 6-mercaptopurine).
Reference Values Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.
Males
1-10 years: 2.4-5.4 mg/dL
11 years: 2.7-5.9 mg/dL
12 years: 3.1-6.4 mg/dL
13 years: 3.4-6.9 mg/dL
14 years: 3.7-7.4 mg/dL
15 years: 4.0-7.8 mg/dL
> or =16 years: 3.7-8.0 mg/dL
Reference values have not been established for patients that are less than 12 months of age.
Females
1 year: 2.1-4.9 mg/dL
2 years: 2.1-5.0 mg/dL
3 years: 2.2-5.1 mg/dL
4 years: 2.3-5.2 mg/dL
5 years: 2.3-5.3 mg/dL
6 years: 2.3-5.4 mg/dL
7-8 years: 2.3-5.5 mg/dL
9-10 years: 2.3-5.7 mg/dL
11 years: 2.3-5.8 mg/dL
12 years: 2.3-5.9 mg/dL
> or =13 years: 2.7-6.1 mg/dL
Reference values have not been established for patients that are less than 12 months of age.
Interpretation Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results
Hyperuricemia is most commonly defined by serum or plasma uric acid concentrations >8.0 mg/dL in males or >6.1 mg/dL in females.
Cautions Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances
The following drugs cause interference (falsely decreased levels) at the therapeutic concentrations: a-methyldopa, desferoxamine and calcimdobesilate.
Clinical Reference Provides recommendations for further in-depth reading of a clinical nature
Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry. 4th edition, Edited by CA Burtis, ER Ashwood, WS Bruns. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2006;24:803-807
Method Description Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference
Uric acid is oxidized by uricase to form allantoin and hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide reacts with TOOS (N-ethyl-N-(2- hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-3-mehtylaniline) and 4-aminophenazone in the presence of peroxidase to form a quinoneimine dye. The intensity of the red color formed is proportional to the uric acid concentration. Prior to the start of the reaction, the sample is initially incubated with a reagent mixture containing ascorbate oxidase and a clearing system. This eliminates any ascorbic acid present in the sample which could interfere with the peroxidase indicator reaction. (Package insert: Roche Uric Acid reagent, Roche Diagnostic Corp., Indianapolis IN, 1998)
Day(s) and Time(s) Test Performed Outlines the days and times the test is performed. This field reflects the day and time the sample must be in the testing laboratory to begin the testing process and includes any specimen preparation and processing time required before the test is performed. Some tests are listed as continuously performed, which means assays are performed several times during the day.
Monday through Sunday; Continuously
Analytic Time Defines the amount of time it takes the laboratory to setup and perform the test. This is defined in number of days. The shortest interval of time expressed is "same day/1 day," which means the results may be available the same day that the sample is received in the testing laboratory. One day means results are available 1 day after the sample is received in the laboratory.
Maximum Laboratory Time Defines the maximum time from specimen receipt at Mayo Medical Laboratories until the release of the test result
Specimen Retention Time Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded
Performing Laboratory Location The location of the laboratory that performs the test
Test Classification Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer's instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR), Investigation Use Only (IUO) product, or a Research Use Only (RUO) product.
CPT Code Information Provides guidance in determining the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code(s) information for each test or profile. The listed CPT codes reflect Mayo Medical Laboratories interpretation of CPT coding requirements. It is the responsibility of each laboratory to determine correct CPT codes to use for billing.
84550
LOINC® Code Information Provides guidance in determining the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) values for the result codes returned for this test or profile.
| Result ID | Reporting Name | LOINC Code |
|---|---|---|
| URIC | Uric Acid, S | 3084-1 |
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