The basis for the frequent occurrence of an elevation of the plasma urate concentration in patients with gout has interested investigators for many years. Increased urate production, decreased nonrenal urate disposal, and decreased urinary urate excretion all have been considered as possible causes of hyperuricemia in patients with gout.1-6 In an attempt to clarify this problem, we have examined the role of the kidneys in regulating plasma urate concentration by studying patients who are likely to have increased endogenous urate production due to diseases unrelated to primary gout. Adult male patients with leukemia were studied. Their plasma uric acid concentrations, 24-hour urinary urate excretion, and urate-to-creatinine excretion ratios were compared with the results of similar studies performed on normal subjects and on patients with gout.
Methods
Twelve male patients with acute lymphoblastic, acute myeloblastic, or chronic myelocytic leukemia were studied. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia were excluded from the