Interactions between genetics and diuretic medications in the kidney's clearance of uric acid

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High blood urate levels lead to gout (the most common form of inflammatory arthritis), and may also contribute to development of heart and kidney disease. This problem is of great relevance to Aotearoa New Zealand due to the very high rates of high urate levels and severe gout in Maori and Pacific people. A number of risk factors contribute to increased urate levels in the blood. Recent research has identified a number of genes that contribute to urate levels. Diuretic medications, frequently used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure, also increase blood urate levels. This short-term intervention study will examine the way that genes and diuretic medications interact to influence the person’s ability to clear urate from the body. Understanding these interactions may, in time, allow individualized treatment decisions; for example, the presence of certain gout risk genes may guide selection of therapies for heart failure and hypertension.