[Renal diseases in disturbance of urate metabolism]

Although serum concentrations of uric acid could be frequently measured in various diseases, most clinicians are less interesting in the significance of serum urate levels. Since uric acid is produced in the body and eliminated through the kidney into the urine, the kidney plays a main role in controlling serum urate level. On the other hand higher concentrations of uric acid in blood and urine could involve renal damage because uric acid is less soluble in acidic solutions like a tubular fluids, resulting in tubulointerstitial nephropathy. In this paper I described that the mechanism of urate metabolism in the human kidney and then how disorders of urate metabolism involve the kidney.