Why uric acid rises in pre-eclampsia?

Question

Why urate level increases in pregnancy induced hypertension? How is it a pathogenic marker of the disease condition?

Answer 1

Uric acid concentration is often elevated before development of clinical signs and symptoms in pre-eclampsia. Following are the hypothesis on the reason of hyperuricemia in gestational hypertension:

 1. Reduced renal clearance
 2. Hypovolemia (increases uric acid reabsorption)
 3. Increased uric acid production from maternal, fetal or placental tissues through heightened tissues breakdown (ie. increased substrate availability)
 4. Increased Xanthine Oxidase (XO) activity