Gout Information

Kidney stones

The kidneys are highly implicated in gout because:

when hyperuricemia is present, raised amounts of uric acid pass through the kidneys prior to being eliminated from the body, and
the kidneys work hard to concentrate all the uric acid passing through them.

Because high levels of uric acid pass through the kidneys, tiny crystals of urate can collect together, accumulating into 'stones' that may reach more than 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter. In fact, experts believe that up to 40 per cent of gout patients have suffered a bout of renal colic due to the formation of a small stone (calculus) within the kidney or urinary tract. When stones remain in the kidney, a dull pain is a common symptom. However, when stones form in the ureters - the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder - the flow of urine can be blocked. A common symptom of this is blood in the urine - but sometimes the blood is not visible to the naked eye.

Urine analysis can show white blood cells, after which the patient may be sent for an X-ray or ultrasound scan. Kidney stones can be broken up by ultrasound waves and passed out with the