Urate in urine is a salt of potassium and sodium, which are determined in the sediment. Most often, they are noted with improper nutrition or violation of the drinking regime. In more rare cases, these deposits appear in pathologies. Usually a person does not feel the presence of an increased amount of urates. They can only be identified by analysis. However, the increased content of such salts is far from harmless. Over time, this can lead to the formation of stones or gout. In medicine, an increase in the permissible amount of urate is called uraturia or uric acid diathesis.
What are these salts?
It often happens that an absolutely healthy person has an increased content of urate in the urine. What does it mean? Urates are potassium and sodium salts of uric acid. With good filtration performance of the kidneys, these compounds should not be present in the sediment. A major role is played by the acidity (pH) of urine. If the discharge has an excessively acidic reaction, then urate in urine appears in large quantities. Alkaline environment is unfavorable for the formation of these salts.
Purine and protein compounds enter our body along with food. They stimulate the formation of uric acid. In case of abuse of food rich in purines and proteins, crystals are excreted in the urine - urates, which then precipitate and are determined by analysis.
Normal performance
Normally, the amount of urate in the urine should be zero. However, if a person rarely determines an extremely small amount of these salts in the analysis, then this is not considered a pathology. However, even such a sign is often alarming for doctors, because it indicates a weakening of the filtration work of the excretion system.
In the results of urinalysis, the urate content is indicated by a plus sign ("+"). The norm is considered an indicator of no more than two pluses ("++") in the event that such a result is determined once. If urate in the urine is constantly present even in very small quantities, then this requires the appointment of a special diet.
A significant excess of the norm of the content of these salts (the result of the analysis "+++" or "++++") indicates uraturia. In this case, the patient is recommended to undergo additional studies.
Diagnostics
You can find out the content of urate in the urine by passing a routine clinical analysis. This study also measures protein, white blood cells, red blood cells, oxalates, and phosphates.
If the analysis reveals slightly increased urate in the urine, then the study must be repeated. Such a deviation can be temporary, sometimes a small uraturia is caused by random reasons. If uric acid salts are excreted in large quantities and this deviation is constant, then it is necessary to examine the patient for diseases of the excretory organs and gout. An ultrasound of the kidneys is prescribed, urine analysis for bacterial inoculation, as well as a blood test for uric acid.
Why are there deviations?
All the causes of the appearance of urate in the urine in adults and children can be divided into non-pathological and pathological. In the first case, uraturia is not associated with diseases, but is a consequence of malnutrition and lifestyle. To cope with such a deviation can be quite easy.
If uraturia is only one of the symptoms of acute or chronic pathology, then getting rid of it is more difficult. It is necessary to undergo treatment for the underlying disease. Only after recovery or persistent remission, the level of salts in the urine is normalized.
Next, we will consider in more detail the main causes of uraturia.
Non-pathological
In most cases, uraturia is caused by malnutrition. If a person consumes an excess of meat, fish, legumes, tomatoes, canned goods, smoked meats, leafy vegetables, alcohol, this leads to an increased indicator of salts in urine. The situation is aggravated if the patient drinks little fluid. With insufficient intake of water in the body, deposits are not washed out and accumulate.
With diarrhea, high air temperature, excessive physical exertion, a lot of fluid comes out of the body. This leads to dehydration. As a result, the concentration of these salts in urine increases.
Uraturia can also provoke the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. Excessive intake of drugs with B vitamins also leads to the release of urate.
Such causes are easily remedied. Salts of urate in the urine of an adult or child are reduced to normal or completely disappear when dieting, drinking enough water and stopping the medication.
Pathological causes
In some cases, the excretion of uric acid salts is associated with pathologies. The following diseases can provoke uraturia:
- gout;
- urolithiasis disease;
- glomerulonephritis;
- inflammatory pathologies of the genitourinary organs;
- leukemia;
- violation of the blood supply to the organs of excretion.
Such diseases disrupt the filtration function of the kidneys and lead to uraturia. With gout, the content of uric acid salts is also increased in the blood, this pathology is accompanied by a serious metabolic disorder.
During pregnancy
Elevated urates are often found in analysis in pregnant women. This is due to the fact that during the period of gestation, many patients suffer from toxicosis. This leads to vomiting and dehydration, resulting in an increase in the concentration of uric acid salts.
Another reason for the increase in urate can be unhealthy diet during pregnancy. The use of spicy and smoked foods, tomatoes, chocolate contributes to the formation of salts. Such foods should be excluded from the diet. It is also necessary to somewhat limit the consumption of fish and meat.
A frequent cause of uraturia in pregnant women is insufficient fluid intake. It is important to remember that during the period of gestation, the body's need for water increases.
Uraturia in children
In children, this ailment is most often observed with malnutrition. If the baby is often fed fried, greasy and canned foods, this can lead to an increase in the amount of salts in the urine sediment. Sweet soda, strong tea and chocolate can also be harmful.
Children are often prone to gastrointestinal infections and food poisoning. These pathologies are often accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. In sick children, an increase in urate due to dehydration is noted.
An increase in the amount of uric acid salts may be one of the symptoms of helminthic invasion, genitourinary infections, and intestinal dysbiosis. Uraturia should be especially wary in cases where the parents or immediate family of the child have diabetes, obesity, gout, and heart disease. In this case, the baby may have a hereditary predisposition to the formation of urate stones.
Why are they dangerous?
The appearance of uric acid salts in the analysis is a harbinger of urolithiasis. Over time, these deposits accumulate and transform into urate stones. Such formations lead to attacks of renal colic, which is expressed in severe unbearable pain in the lumbar region.
Another unpleasant consequence of uraturia can be gout. In this disease, uric acid salts are deposited in the tissues. Pathology is accompanied by severe pain, which develops due to joint damage.
Symptomatology
An increase in the urate content is most often asymptomatic. This deviation is usually detected by chance when analyzing urine. Signs of the disease become noticeable only when the salts eventually turn into stones and get stuck in the ureters. The following symptoms appear:
- back pain;
- pain and burning during urination;
- nausea and vomiting;
- blood particles in urine;
- pinkish or brownish color of urine;
- increase in blood pressure.
If such manifestations occur, it is urgent to contact a urologist or nephrologist. These symptoms indicate the development of urolithiasis.
Amorphous Urate
Sometimes, in the transcript of the analysis, it is indicated that amorphous urates in the urine are detected. What does it mean? Amorphous urates are salts of uric acid that are unformed. A sign of an increased number of such compounds is the staining of urine in a pinkish or brownish color.
The presence of amorphous urates always indicates pathology. Such salts in the urine are noted with glomerulonephritis, acute and chronic renal failure, congestive kidney, as well as with febrile conditions.
Drug treatment
First of all, the doctor prescribes a diet with a restriction of protein foods. Next, nutrition rules for urate in the urine will be considered. Drug treatment is aimed at removing and dissolving salts. The following drugs are prescribed:
- Plant-based products: Kanefron, Fitolizin, Urolesan. These medications help eliminate uric acid salts.
- The drug "Allopurinol". It reduces the production of uric acid and dissolves urate salts.
- Vitamin and mineral remedy "Asparkam". This medicine destroys urate deposits and removes them.
- Blemaren effervescent tablets. They help remove urate. However, if phosphate is found in the patient along with uric acid salts, then this medicine is not recommended.
It is also useful to drink decoctions of elderberry, horsetail, nettle, lingonberry. Dried collections of these herbs are sold in pharmacy chains.
Urate is highly soluble. Usually the use of medicines and herbal decoctions leads to the complete removal of salts.
Diet
Drug therapy must necessarily be combined with a diet. Without this, it is impossible to achieve the effect of treatment.
The following products are completely excluded from the diet:
- red meat;
- strong broths;
- canned food;
- chocolate;
- alcoholic drinks;
- margarine;
- animal fats;
- smoked meats;
- strong tea and coffee;
- yeast.
You should also limit the use of fish, cheeses, leaf crops, legumes, onions, cabbage.
With uraturia, it is recommended to include potato, oatmeal, nuts, seaweed, dried fruits, eggplant, pumpkin in the diet. Sour-milk products, grapes, apples and citrus fruits are also useful. Their use contributes to the alkaline reaction of urine, which creates unfavorable conditions for the formation of urates.
It is very important to drink at least 2 liters of pure water per day. This will help remove harmful salts from the body.
Prevention
To avoid uraturia, you must adhere to a balanced diet. Do not eat excessive amounts of protein foods (fatty meat and fish). It is also necessary to minimize the use of alcohol. It is the regular intake of alcoholic beverages in combination with meat snacks that most often causes an increase in urate.
A sufficient amount of liquid should be consumed during the day. With diarrhea and excessive sweating, it is important to prevent dehydration and make up for water loss in time. On a day, a person needs to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of fluid. An important role in the prevention of uraturia is played by an active lifestyle. Motor activity prevents the deposition of salts in organs and tissues.
If an increased rate of urate is detected in the urine, you should immediately consult a doctor. It may be necessary to prescribe a diet or a special course of treatment. This will help prevent such unpleasant and severe pathologies as urolithiasis and gout.