Can uric acid affect the brain?

CONCLUSIONS: Uric acid has a stimulating effect on the cerebral cortex, and this could have allowed humans, compared with other animals, to develop higher brain mass volume, better intellectual performances, and maybe evolutionary supremacy.

Can uric acid cross the blood brain barrier?

Uric acid in serum could pass through the blood-brain barrier and be deposited at a significant level in the hippocampus 19 . Uric acid is a powerful antioxidant. However, its elevated levels in association with cardiovascular diseases predispose individuals to cognitive impairment.

Can uric acid damage nerves?

Tophaceous gout If you’ve had hyperuricemia for several years, uric acid crystals can form clumps called tophi. These hard lumps are found under your skin, around your joints, and in the curve at the top of your ear. Tophi can worsen joint pain and over time damage your joints or compress your nerves.

How does gout affect the neurological system?

The clinical picture of this disease involves neurological abnormalities such as dystonia, chorea, cognitive dysfunction, compulsive injurious behavior, self-mutilation and articular manifestations (early onset gout) in addition to renal stones. If left untreated, it may lead to tophi formation and renal failure [9].

Can uric acid cause depression?

In 2017, researchers published a systematic review and meta-analysis involving 7 studies and 411,745 participants in the International Journal of Psychiatry. A pooled analysis revealed that patients with gout are nearly 20% more likely to experience depression.

What will happen if you have high uric acid?

If too much uric acid stays in the body, a condition called hyperuricemia will occur. Hyperuricemia can cause crystals of uric acid (or urate) to form. These crystals can settle in the joints and cause gout, a form of arthritis that can be very painful. They can also settle in the kidneys and form kidney stones.

What is the normal of uric acid?

Normal Uric acid levels are 2.4-6.0 mg/dL (female) and 3.4-7.0 mg/dL (male). Normal values will vary from laboratory to laboratory. Also important to blood uric acid levels are purines.

What raises uric acid?

Most of the time, a high uric acid level occurs when your kidneys don’t eliminate uric acid efficiently. Things that may cause this slow-down in the removal of uric acid include rich foods, being overweight, having diabetes, taking certain diuretics (sometimes called water pills) and drinking too much alcohol.

Can gout cause mental confusion?

Though some elderly patients with acute gouty arthritis will manifest confusion or a sudden change in ambulatory status, most will present with a monoarthritis and a rise in temperature.

Can gout cause brain fog?

“Inflammation levels may be high, and that may contribute to pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance — and that might contribute to the fog,” says Dr. Davis.