The relationship between uric acid and potassium in normal subjects.

The serum uric acid concentration in normal healthy subjects has been studied in relation to sex, height, weight, lean body mass measured from total body potassium and predicted from the Hume-Weyers formula (1971), total body potassium, plasma potassium and urea, and packed cell volume. The strongest correlation was found with sex, but height, weight, total body potassium, lean body mass (measured and predicted) also correlated significantly with serum uric acid concentration. However, when the sex variable was removed, the other factors lost their significant correlation. Finally, total red blood cell and plasma volumes were predicted (Hume and Goldberg, 1964) and from these an estimate of total plasma uric acid, total plasma potassium, and total red blood cell potassium obtained. Measured total body potassium was found to correlate well with total plasma potassium and total red blood cell potassium independent of sex. Total plasma uric acid correlated well with measured total body potassium when both sexes were considered and when separated into male and female groups the males retained a significant correlation as did the female group.