We studied 14 patients (11 women and 3 men) from 18 to 33 years old, suffering from type I diabetes mellitus with normal renal function (creatinine clearance 106.91 +/- 28.73 ml/min) and serum uric acid below 2.5 mg/dl (2.34 +/- 0.11 mg/dl) as well as a high uric acid clearance (23.04 +/- 5.92 ml/min) and fractional urate excretion (21.4 +/- 2.6) versus urate clearance 9.82 ml/min and fractional urate excretion 8.80 +/- 1.3 in 14 normal control subjects. The study of the uricosuric mechanisms was conducted by the combination of probenecid (PB) test which inhibits the reabsorption of secreted urate, and pyrazinamide (PZA) test, which inhibits its tubular secretion. The results of studies indicate that the increase in urate clearance was accounted for by increased PZA-nonsuppressible urate suggesting a decreased reabsorption of filtered urate. Increased PZA-suppressible urate excretion combined with impaired response to a uricosuric drug is consistent with impaired reabsorption of secreted urate. According to our findings, increased urate excretion in diabetic patients may be attributed to the inhibition of both filtered and secreted reabsorption. This reabsorptive tubular abnormality is consistent with the view of an interference of tubular reabsorption of glucose with the tubular capacity for uric acid reabsorption.