Uric Acid Kidney Stones

There is a common denominator between gout and kidney stones: uric acid! For people diagnosed with gout, the risk of developing kidney stones is doubled. The high uric acid can accumulate in the urinary tract or kidneys causing the formation of hardened uric acid crystals that become kidney stones. Although kidney stones may be caused by other crystal forming minerals such as calcium; it is almost certain to develop in people with gout.

The statistics is in fact high; 10-25% of people with primary gout develops kidney stones and even higher at 42% for people with secondary gout. Primary gout is developed from high uric acid without a known cause while secondary gout is developed from high uric acid derived from long term medication (e.g. diuretics, aspirin, etc.) or health condition (e.g. alcoholism, kidney malfunction, diabetes, obesity, etc.). As you can see the risk is considerably higher for secondary gout!

Gout and Kidney Stones

Why should gout sufferers be extremely concerned with kidney stones formation? If you have experienced the pain gout can bring to you, then you defintly don’t want the pain of trying to pass a kidney stone. Those hardened, sharp kidney stones passing through the tubes connecting the kidneys to the urinary bladder usually causes bloody urine. You are also most likely to experience extreme pain in the flanks and loins, vomiting and nausea and fever and chills if an infection in the urinary tract develops.

Aside from the pain and discomfort caused by uric acid kidney stones; the more pressing point is that their frequent recurrence (and mind you they can be frequent with sustained high uric acid level!) may be a sign of kidney disease. Again, the statistics is high; 25% of people with gout are likely to develop or may already have a progressive kidney disease. Progressive being the key word; this means it can start mild and can lead to kidney failure! We all know how life quality can be greatly affected by kidney failure so this is one thing that gout sufferers should really take seriously.

Addressing the underlying cause of gout which is high uric acid also addresses the risk of kidney stone formation. Lowering the uric acid level to below 6mg/dl keep your kidneys healthy; preventing them from developing uric acid stones. If your kidney functions are already impaired causing them to inefficiently remove uric acid from the body, then aside from a closely monitored treatment plan given by your doctor; care must be taken not to further hurt your kidneys. Do the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes for healthier kidneys and for better gout management!