Mild but clinically significant metabolic hyperoxaluria and it’s response to pyridoxine

Abstract

Urinary oxalate is one of the most important risk factors for calcium oxalate urolithiasis. It has been difficult to measure in the past but a number of new methods have recently been described from various parts of the world. Our own automated method (1) was brought into use in February 1984 but even before that we had been measuring up to 30 urine samples per week for many years. As a result, a number of cases of mild hyperoxaluria, defined as metabolic in origin by the finding of raised urinary glycollate have come to light. The first two cases were previously described (2), two other cases without any other metabolic abnormalities were described more recently (3) and the same paper referred to five more cases who also had renal tubular acidosis (RTA). Since that time more cases have been found and this paper considers a group of 14 cases without RTA as well as a follow-up of one of the original two who happened to have RTA as well.