Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Hypocitraturia
Introduction
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Overview
Overview
Hypocitraturia, a low amount of citrate in the urine, is an important risk factor for kidney stone formation.
Classification
Classification
Hypocitraturia usually is defined as citrate excretion of less than 320 mg/day, but this definition has been challenged as inadequate for recurrent stone formers.
- Severe hypocitraturia: citrate excretion of < 100 mg/day
- Mild-to-moderate hypocitraturia: citrate excretion of 100-320 mg/day
Other definitions;
- Urine citrate level < 220 mg/day for both men and women, regardless of age, or
- Urine citrate level < 115 mg/day in men and < 200 mg/day in women.
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology
Citrate in the urine has long been recognized as an inhibitor of calcium salt crystallization. Citrate is the dissociated anion of citric acid, a weak acid that is both ingested in the diet and produced endogenously in the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
The mean urinary citrate excretion is 640 mg/d in healthy individuals.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]