What does an increase in urea in the blood mean?
The urea is a decomposition product of the body, which serves the detoxification. Various substances are bound in such a way that they become water-soluble and can be excreted with the urine via the kidneys. In the case of urea, this involves the elimination of nitrogen, which is absorbed into the body in the form of proteins, for example. As a rule, an increase in urea in the blood means that the function of the kidneys is significantly reduced. However, a metabolic disorder can also lead to an increased production of urea, or an excessive supply of proteins triggers the increase of urea in the blood.
Which symptoms can indicate an increased urea level?
The elevated level of urea in the blood causes the disease gout. A distinction is made between an acute attack of gout and chronic gout. Nowadays in the western society, which lives in abundance of food and has good medical care, the acute attack of gout is particularly widespread.
This leads to a very painful inflammation of individual joints. Frequently affected are the big toes, the tarsal bones and the ankle joint. In addition, the acute attack of gout is often noticeable in the wrists, fingers and elbows.
As a result, the affected joint typically suffers severe pain at night, and inflammation and swelling also develop. After a few days, the symptoms of acute gout calm down again. Very rarely, chronic gout is seen in our clinic.
This clinical picture is based on a permanently increased level of uric acids in the blood. The uric acid is then deposited inside and outside the joints. Gout nodes can develop under the skin as well as in various organs (especially in the kidney). Since the increase in urea is often caused by a malfunction of the kidney, kidney dysfunction often occurs in addition. These manifest themselves as reduced urine excretion and even the complete cessation of urination.
Which diseases lead to an increased urea level?
There are various diseases that can lead to increased urea. The so-called primary hyperuricemia (urea elevation) is caused by kidney disease and is often genetic. The functional impairment of the kidney leads to a disorder of uric acid excretion.
The acute occurrence of the disease is usually caused by the consumption of alcohol as well as over-nutrition and the excessive consumption of meat. Very rarely the increased urea value is due to overproduction. These are usually rare genetic defects.
However, the elevated urea value can also occur as a result of many drugs (aspirin and water tablets, some immunomodulating drugs). Poisoning or hormonal dysfunction can also lead to an increased urea value. More rarely, there is increased formation of urea due to sudden massive cell death, which can be caused by tumour diseases and leukaemias, for example.
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