Urate Excretion in Normal and Gouty Men

Abstract

Serum levels of urate are easily measured and have been systematically studied in many different settings. We now know about urate values in populations all over the globe, in a great variety of human diseases, in divers under the sea, in men in outer space, and practically everywhere in between. These studies have been intriguing in the differences they have revealed within and between groups. We know almost nothing, however, of what these differences mean. The reason for our ignorance is simple: our present tools are far too cumbersome to apply to these vast problems. Inulin clearances, restricted diets, purine loads, 24-hour urine collections and isotopic turnover studies are expensive and cumbersome for both patients and investigators. The complexity of such studies discourages us from asking large scale questions about the renal handling of urate in different hyperuricemic states. In search of more effective tools, I have reviewed and reevaluated classic data on urate excretion by normal and gouty men. The aim of this analysis was to develop simple expressions which might be helpful in evaluating groups and individuals with hyperuricemia.