The “German Professional Association of Internists” released a statement on Monday saying that kidney stones may be an early warning sign for gout.  The statement claimed that as many as 40% developed kidney stones as a first indication of gout.

This makes sense.  It had been known for a long time that high levels of uric acid in the body can cause increased levels of uric acid excreted by the kidneys.  This excess uric acid can form uric acid kidney stones.  Not only that, but uric acid crystals can serve as a catalyst for the formation of kidney stones based on other substances such as calcium.

Also, the risk of kidney stones does not decrease once gout develops, in fact it will continue to increase because uric acid levels increase the older you get.  Also, medications and some foods, especially those high in vitamin C, can increase the amount of uric acid your kidneys excrete and increase your risk of kidney stones.

To avoid kidney stones, it is important to 1) drink lots of water and 2) make sure your urine does not become too acidic.  Crystals are more likely to form in acidic urine so it’s important to test your urine’s acidity using pH test strips, and to reduce the acidity (increase the alkalinity) of your urine.  The most common way of doing this is by drinking a baking soda and water solution.

If you liked this post, you will love the book, Beating Gout: A Sufferer’s Guide to Living Pain Free. Get the whole story in one easy-to-understand book, get your copy of Beating Gout: A Sufferer’s Guide to Living Pain Free now. Over 500 research articles and texts where studied and dozens of world class experts on gout were interviews for this book yet it is written for the non-expert. No other book on gout is more up-to-date, comprehensive or easy-to-understand – guaranteed!