I have just had my second acute gout attack. The first was 4 years ago. I took Allupurinol once a day and quit eating it recently. I had my uric acid level tested today. It was 7.3. DO I need to go back on the medicine? Can I fight it naturally? My liver function test was a little high.
Thank you for your query. The acute attack of gout, as in your case, is managed with NSAIDs or colchicine. Allopurinol is prescribed to manage gout in the long-term. Serum uric acid levels are done to assess the response to allopurinol treatment. However, there is no definite cut-off value of serum uric acid to classify a person as a case of gout. A person can have serum uric acid levels as low as 6 mg/DL and have gout. On the other hand, one can have serum uric acid levels as high as 9.5 mg/DL and not have gout.