Deliver it to the laboratory or your health care provider as soon as possible upon completion. If the collection is being taken from an infant, a couple of extra collection bags may be necessary. The test involves only normal urination, and there is no discomfort. The most common reason for measuring uric acid levels is in the diagnosis or treatment of gout , because gout results from crystallization of uric acid crystals in joints. Some kidney stones are also composed of uric acid.
Uric acid is the end-product of purine catabolism.
These spiked rods are uric acid crystals photographed under polarized light. Increased uric acid blood levels and formation of uric acid crystals in the joints are associated with gout.