[Which uric acid value is in need of treatment?]

Asymptomatic hyperuricemia should be treated only if the plasma uric acid levels are around 10 mg/100 ml or more on several determinations. In addition, patients on a purine-free diet who excrete more than 600 mg uric acid per 24 h should be treated. In both cases, treatment is intended to be prophylactic against gouty nephropathy. At present there is no evidence that primary hyperuricemia alone is a risk factor for early atherosclerosis and especially coronary artery disease. However, more attention should be paid to the accompanying risk factors such as obesity, hyperlipoproteinemia, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.