A rapid method for the diagnosis of acute uric acid nephropathy.

Acute uric acid nephropathy is a reversible type of renal failure that results from the deposition of uric acid crystals in the collecting tubules. The present study has compared a number of laboratory tests in 5 patients with a clinical diagnosis of this disorder and 27 patients with acute renal failure of other causes. Neither the serum creatinine, BUN, serum urate concentrations, nor the ratio of serum urate:BUN differentiated between these two groups of patients. However, the ratio of uric acid to creatinine concentration on a random urine specimen did differentiate between these two patient populations. All patients with uric acid nephropathy had a ratio greater than 1.0, while all patients with other types of acute renal failure had ratios of less than 1.0.