Urinary excretion of oxalate in renal failure

The daily urinary excretion of oxalate has been found to be lower than normal in patients with renal failure and the decrease to be directly proportional to the impairment of renal function. It has also been found that the gut flora from uremic patients destroys oxalate 'in vitro' more efficiently than the gut flora from normal people. It is postulated that an adaptation occurs in the gut flora of uremics to 'metabolize' oxalate, and this enteric elimination may account for its decreased urinary excretion.