2005 年 63 巻 1 号 p. 3-12
Hyperuricemia and gout are included among such lifestyle-related diseases as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Hyperuricemia involves the serum urate level exceeding the solubility limit, the resulting crystallized urate deposits causing gouty arthritis and a renal disorder induced by gout. Uric acid is an end product of purine nucleotide degradation. This review summarizes recent biochemical and molecular biological data from principally Japanese studies on purine nucleotide biosynthesis, uric acid formation and its renal excretion. The Japanese Society of Gout and Nucleic Acid Metabolism published in 2001 guidelines for the management of hyperuricemia and gout in order to standardize the diagnosis and therapy of these disorders. These guidelines define hyperuricemia as a urate concentration of over 7mg/dl in the blood, indicating the solubility limit based on the physicochemical properties of urate. The required change of patients' lifestyles, including dietary habits, is also reviewed