Gout due to renal disease

From 120 patients attending a referral gout clinic, 12 patients were found to have primary renal disease at the time of, or prior to, their first attack of acute gouty arthritis. This number excluded those with chronic lead nephropathy, polycystic kidneys or who were receiving diuretics. The nature of the renal disease was usually of the tubulointerstitial variety rather than of glomerular origin. The renal clearance of urate per unit of glomerular filtration rate, which usually increases with renal disease, was generally reduced, suggesting impairment of renal excretion of urate. Nine of the patients were female (four premenopausal) and only three were males. The degree of renal impairment was only mild to moderate. Other common associations with gout, such as obesity, hypertension and regular alcohol consumption, were not prominent. The intrinsic renal disease in these patients was considered to be the major contributor to their development of hyperuricaemia and gout.