Kidney Stones

Kidney stones, also known as "renal calculi" are highly relevant to gout sufferers because of uric acid build up leads to uric acid crystallisation within the joints.In fact, before their first attack of gouty arthritis around ten percent of gout sufferers have had an episode of renal colic due to the formation of a small stone(calculus)within the kidney or the urinary tract.

These calculi, which may vary in size from a millimetre to several centimetres, commonly cause intense pain(renal colic)which passes around the loin to the groin on the same side;this may be accompanied by the passage of blood in the urine(haematuria). Often the stones are small enough to be passed out of the body in the urine without any problem,but occasionally they may be large enough to cause obstruction to urine flow.The other type of stone common in patients with gout is a calcium scale stone.This is usually associated with a very high urinary acid excretion,but the urine need not be unusually acid.Often this high urinary uric acid seems to be caused by a diet high in purines..The reasons why a high urinary uric acid should promote the formation of another type of calculus are complex and involve solubilising factors in the urine which would normally maintain the calcium oxalate in solution. The first thing that a gout sufferer can do to reduce the risk of kidney stones is to maintain a dilute urine, ie, always drink sufficient fluid to have a urine column exceeding 1500 ml/day.Few other techniques have as great an effect upon the uric acid concentration in the urine as the volume passed or the urine flow rate. One home remedy for the supposed elimination of stones is the following.Two ounces of olive oil as well as two ounces of lemon juice which is consumed straight away.Followed by a large glass of water. This method should be researched thoroughly and we are not advocating it as a definite cure.