Urate, UA
24 hours
Enxymatic colorimetric
Accredited NRL Laboratory
Daily
The principal clinical use of uric acid (urate) measurements is in the diagnosis and management of gout (hyperuricaemia is typically, but not always present); measurements are essential to monitoring uric acid lowering treatments e.g. Allopurinol.
Elevated uric acid can be a feature of pre-eclampsia (though is not one of the diagnostic criteria) and are also a feature of tumour lysis syndrome; uric acid should be measured in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Results are reported in SI units (µmol/L)
Serum or Plasma
0.5 mL
Serum (SST; Gold Top or plain serum; Red Top) Plasma (Lithium Heparin; Green Top or EDTA; Lavender Top)
No special preparation is required for this test. You may eat, drink, and take your medications as normal, unless instructed otherwise by your healthcare provider.
This test does not require any special collection or pre-analytical handling. Follow routine specimen collection protocols.
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Refrigerated | 7 days |
| Frozen | 6 months at -20°C |