Renal handling of uric acid assessed by means of pharmacological tests in obese women

The aim of this study was to compare the renal handling of uric acid by mea ns of pyrazinamide and probenecid tests between obese and non-obese women. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 8 obese women and in 8 non-obese women as control group. Metabolic profile and renal handling of uric acid including clearance, fractional excretion and excretion rates, were assesse d. Due to technical problems, pyrazinamide and probenecid tests were perfor med only in 5 women of each group to evaluate presecretory reabsorption, se cretion and post-secretory reabsorption of uric acid. Uric acid clearance h ad a tendency to be lower in the obese women than in the control group. The re were no significant differences between the groups in fractional excreti on and excretion uric acid rates. Pre- and post-secretory reabsorptions of uric acid did not differ between the obese and the non-obese women. Tubular secretion of uric acid was significantly lower in the obese women compared with the control group (6.4 vs 13.6%; p=0.02). Tubular secretion of uric a cid negatively correlated with body mass index (r=-0.73; p <0.05). In concl usion, tubular secretion of uric acid possibly plays an important role in u ric acid homeostasis in obese women. (C) 2001, Editrice Kurds.