Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism. Nearly half of the uric acid is eliminated and replaced daily by way of urinary excretion and through microbial degradation in the intestinal tract. Hyperuricaemia may be observed in renal dysfunction, gout, leukemia,polycythaemia, atherosclerosis, diabetes,hypothyroidism or in some genetic diseases. Decreased levels are present in patients with Wilson's disease, bronchogenic carcinoma, severe hepatocellular disease and Hodgkin’s disease.
