Acquired Hyperoxaluria, Nephrolithiasis, and Intestinal Disease

Abstract In seven patients with resection of the distal ileum, calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis and increased urinary excretion of oxalate (64 to 135 mg per 24 hours) developed. Cholestyramine therapy (4 g four times a day) lowered the 24-hour urinary excretion of oxalate to normal in the four patients in whom it was used. Urinary excretion of oxalate was measured in an additional 42 patients with various types of intestinal disorders without evidence of nephrolithiasis. Five of 18 patients with ileal resection, two of seven with bacterial over-growth, and six of 15 with miscellaneous conditions, including nontropical sprue and cirrhosis, had hyperoxaluria.