Gout and uric acid tests in Bangkok — prices (2026)
Diagnostic tests for gout and hyperuricaemia at Bangkok private hospitals:
- ▸Serum uric acid blood test: ฿200–฿400 — the primary gout screening test; included in most executive check-up packages
- ▸24-hour urine uric acid (uric acid excretion rate): ฿400–฿800 — determines whether overproduction or underexcretion is the cause; important for treatment choice
- ▸Joint aspiration (synovial fluid analysis for uric acid crystals): gold standard for gout diagnosis when joint is swollen; ฿2,000–฿4,000 including lab analysis
- ▸X-ray of affected joint (hands, feet): ฿600–฿1,500 — looks for tophus deposits, joint damage in chronic gout
- ▸Renal function panel (creatinine + eGFR): essential alongside uric acid — gout and kidney disease are closely linked; ฿600–฿1,500
- ▸Rheumatologist consultation: ฿1,500–฿3,000 at Bumrungrad, Samitivej, or Bangkok Hospital — same-day booking available
Gout medication prices in Bangkok (2026)
Urate-lowering therapy and gout management medication costs at Bangkok pharmacies and hospital pharmacies:
- ▸Allopurinol 100mg / 300mg (xanthine oxidase inhibitor — first-line urate-lowering therapy): ฿1–฿5 per tablet; ฿30–฿150/month for maintenance dose; widely available at all Bangkok pharmacies
- ▸Allopurinol 300mg (most common therapeutic dose): 30 tablets ฿50–฿150 — dramatically cheaper than in Western countries (equivalent to $1.50–$4.00/month vs $30–$60 in the US)
- ▸Febuxostat 40mg / 80mg (Adenuric — newer xanthine oxidase inhibitor; preferred for patients with kidney disease, or allopurinol intolerance): ฿10–฿30 per tablet = ฿300–฿900/month
- ▸Colchicine 0.5mg / 1mg (acute gout attack treatment AND prophylaxis during initiation of ULT): ฿5–฿15 per tablet; ฿150–฿450/month for prophylaxis; generic available
- ▸NSAIDs (naproxen, indomethacin, diclofenac — for acute gout attacks): ฿3–฿15 per tablet; generally dispensed for 5–7 day acute course
- ▸Prednisolone (oral steroid for acute gout when NSAID contraindicated — e.g., kidney disease): ฿2–฿8 per tablet
- ▸Benzbromarone (uricosuric agent for underexcretors — not widely available outside Asia; available in Bangkok): ฿10–฿25 per tablet; effective for underexcretors who don't respond to allopurinol
- ▸Probenecid (alternative uricosuric): ฿3–฿8 per tablet
- ▸Total medication cost for gout management in Bangkok: ฿100–฿600/month depending on drug; equivalent medications cost $50–$300/month in the US or UK
Understanding your uric acid result and gout management
How to interpret uric acid results and what gout management looks like:
- ▸Uric acid normal range: men <7.0 mg/dL (416 μmol/L); women <6.0 mg/dL (356 μmol/L) — Bangkok labs may flag this at slightly different thresholds
- ▸Hyperuricaemia: serum uric acid ≥7.0 mg/dL (men) or ≥6.0 mg/dL (women) without gout attacks — monitor, lifestyle change, consider ULT if recurrent or very high
- ▸Gout attack (podagra): severe sudden pain + redness + swelling typically of big toe (MTP joint) but also ankle, knee, wrist; serum uric acid is actually often normal during an acute attack
- ▸Target uric acid on treatment: <6.0 mg/dL (360 μmol/L) for most patients; <5.0 mg/dL (300 μmol/L) for patients with tophi (visible urate deposits under skin)
- ▸Lifestyle: reduce purines (organ meats, shellfish, anchovies, red meat, alcohol especially beer and spirits); increase water intake; avoid fructose-sweetened drinks
- ▸Bangkok diet consideration: Thai food is generally lower in gout-triggering foods than Western diet, though seafood is abundant; the main risk for Bangkok visitors is alcohol consumption
- ▸Start allopurinol NOT during an acute attack: start allopurinol only after 2–4 weeks of acute inflammation resolved; starting during an attack prolongs the episode
- ▸Buying 3-month supply in Bangkok: allopurinol 300mg × 90 tablets costs ฿150–฿450 in Bangkok; take home to continue maintenance — most doctors worldwide will continue a Bangkok-started allopurinol prescription