Question

A 41 year old male patient comes to the clinic with an acute attack of gout. He states that his big toe is red and inflamed and he is having trouble walking due to the pain. The. nurse practitioner orders a uric acid level to be drawn at todays visit. What does she expect the results to be?

a. Uric acid level 10 mg/dL (normal is less then 7 mg/dL)
b. Uric acid level 5 mg/dL
c. Uric acid level 20 mg/dL
d. Uric acid level 15 mg/dL

Answer 1

The nurse practitioner expects the uric acid level to exceed the normal range, which is less than 7 mg/dL. The expected value for the patient with an acute attack of gout would likely be 10 mg/dL, indicating a higher level of uric acid consistent with the symptoms of gout.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse practitioner ordering a uric acid level test for a 41-year-old male patient with a red and inflamed big toe, experiencing an acute attack of gout, expects to find a uric acid level exceeding the normal range. Typically, the normal concentration of uric acid in the blood is between 2.4 to 7.0 mg/dL.

In the case of gout, uric acid levels may rise above 7 mg/100 mL of blood plasma, leading to precipitation of uric acid as sodium ureate crystals that get deposited in the joints, causing inflammation and pain. Given that the normal range is already stated as being less than 7 mg/dL, the expected result from the test would most likely be a. Uric acid level 10 mg/dL (option a) since this value is above the normal range and is consistent with a gout diagnosis.