A high uric acid level can be the result of the body making too much uric acid, not getting rid of enough of it or both.

Causes of a high uric acid level in the blood include:

1. Diuretics medicines, also known as water pills
2. Drinking too much alcohol
3. Drinking too much soda or eating too much of foods that have fructose, a type of sugar
4. Genetics also known as inherited traits
5. High blood pressure (hypertension)
6. Immune-suppressing medicines
7. Kidney issues
8. Leukemia
9. Metabolic syndrome
10. Niacin, also called vitamin B-3
11. Obesity
12. Polycythemia vera
13. Psoriasis
14. A purine-rich diet, high in foods such as liver, game meat, anchovies and sardines
15. Tumor lysis syndrome, which is a rapid release of cells into the blood caused by certain cancers or by chemotherapy for those cancers

Healthcare professionals may check people having chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer for high uric acid levels.