The Relation Between Gout and Kidney Stones

Gout occurrences in certain individuals may be attributed to their kidney conditions. Uric acids found in purines are generally excreted out of the system and are not expected to be totally absorbed by the body. Uric acid levels are not wholly dependent in the amounts of purine rich food that body takes in.

It is also dependent on the ability of the kidney to excrete uric acids out of the system. Failure to excrete uric acid may cause uric acid to amass and reach the high-level point when uric acid crystals form and cause gout pains. Hence, there is an existing relationship between gout and kidney stones.

The kidney’s ability to excrete is affected by the formation of kidney stones. If the kidneys become impaired, excretion then poses a problem of retaining too much uric acid in the blood stream.

As uric acid amasses it will reach a certain level wherein uric acid will crystallize and lodge themselves in an individual’s joint where they will not be bothered. Hence, gout and kidney stones forge a relationship by the failure of the kidney to excrete uric acids and the ability of amassed uric acid to form into crystals that causes gout.

Causes and Treatments of Kidney Stones

Unlike gout, crystalline substances become kidney stones not only out of uric acids but also out of other insoluble substances that accumulate and combine in the renal system. Insoluble substances are known as oxalates which can either be salt, calcium or amino acids (cystine kidney stones).

The kidney stone sufferer must pay attention to his diet. If the kidney stones are acid oxalates, then the kidney sufferer’s diet should have more alkalines in order to neutralize the acid oxalates. An alkaline diet mainly consists of fruits and vegetables.

Dark red berries and cherries are the most recommended fruits to eat for people with kidney stones caused by acid oxalates. Cherries and berries contain chemical nutrients that lower uric acid and have the ability to reduce inflammation. Hence, cherries or berries will not only neutralize the kidney stones but will also prevent gout since it can lower uric acid levels.

On the other hand, vegetable like spinach, asparagus and cauliflower although rich in alkaline are also rich in purines. Hence, if you are on an alkaline based diet, try to avoid these vegetables because they are liable to increase uric levels through their purine rich content.

Through this example, it is very important then to ascertain the type of kidney stones you are suffering from in order to determine the type of food you should eat. From there, it should be further determined which of the foods belonging to a food group is rich in purine. This way the treatment of any type of kidney stone will not result to increasing the level of uric acid that may later form into uric acid gout crystals.

The above therefore presents the relationship between gout and kidney stones. Diet plays an important role but it is also a matter of discerning how a concentration of one chemical nutrient may cause a disorder in another part of the body’s system.