Plasma uric acid levels in children

Abstract

Plasma urate levels have been measured in 204 children aged 0-13 years attending hospital. By appropriate statistical treatment, a mean of 3.6 mg./100 ml. and a normal range of 2.0-6.7 mg./100 ml. have been derived from the data in 171 children who did not have conditions normally associated with hyperuricaemia. The value of plasma urate determinations as a screening procedure in children has been shown to be very small. The data suggest that mean levels in normal children fall at about the time of the mid-growth spurt. In addition, 4 out of the 12 cases of unexplained abdominal pain studied had abnormally high levels of plasma urate.