Serum Uric Acid and Risk of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are a common condition, associated with high direct and indirect costs.1,2 Gout is a well-established risk factor for stone formation: a history of gout has been associated with a doubling in risk for forming kidney stones.3 Patients with gout often exhibit persistently low urine pH levels, which in turn would increase the concentration of undissociated uric acid relative to the more soluble urate anion because uric acid is a weak acid with a pKa1 of 5.3. When the undissociated uric acid concentration increases above the threshold of 200mg/L at a pH of 5.3, uric acid crystals will start to form and eventually grow into stones.

http://ift.tt/2tLXXmc