Urinary excretion of urates and phosphates in acute infantile gastroenteritis and its relevance to the aetiology of endemic urolithiasis

ABSTRACT

The urate content of unclei of, or whole, bladder stones of childhood has been a matter of debate. A proposal blaming infantile gastroenteritis and the associated state of fasting for the urate content of such stones has been advanced. We, therefore, studied, urate excretion in the urine of 31 infants who were admitted to hospital because of dehydration from acute gastroenteritis. Urine samples were collected on admission to hospital. 12-24 hours after initiation of intravenous infusions and after recovery. Samples were tested for urates, phosphates and creatinine. Significantly higher urate / creatinine ratios were obtained initially than just before discharge from hospital [P. < 0.001]. Phosphate excretion behaved in a similar fashion that a significant correlation between urate and phosphate excretion was found [r = 0.57; P. < 0.001] We conclude that urate excretion is raised during acute gastroenteritis of infancy in comparison with the phase of recovery from the disease. This supports the notion of ascribing the urate content of endemic urolithiasis to about of fasting including neglected cases of acute gastroenteritis