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To investigate whether multi-joint ultrasound (US) findings in patients with gouty arthritis could be used to distinguish between acute and chronic stages, we performed a retrospective study with 129 enrolled patients from the Rheumatology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College from September 1, 2018 to June 12, 2019. Patients with acute or non-acute gout were categorized using clinical data, and US imaging findings of the knees, ankles and first metatarsophalangeal joints were analyzed and compared between groups. Notably, we found that the most prevalent sign detected by US was the hyperechoic spot in the synovium, followed by arthrosynovitis, aggregates, double contour signs and tophi; meanwhile, bone erosions were the least common. Additionally, synovitis was more frequently detected in the acute joints of gouty arthritis (49%) compared with the non-acute joints (35%), whereas grade 1 or 2 blood flow classifications (97%), tophi and bone lesions were more often seen in the latter. Overall, our data suggest that multi-joint US scanning might be used to evaluate disease severity and discriminate between stages of gouty arthritis.

The initial presentation of gouty arthritis can be a dramatic event. Chronic gout may lead to the destruction of joints, invalidity and increased mortality. The incidence of this disorder is high, despite effective therapeutic measures. The treatment of refractory cases may be a challenge to the general practitioner and the specialist alike. The article presented here summarizes the current state of diagnostics and treatment of acute and chronic gout.

Hyperuricemia and chronic deposition of monosodium urate crystals are the main cause of the gout. Urate lowering therapy (ULT) is the mainstay of chronic gout treatment. In this study, we evaluated demographic features and disease properties of the patients that would relate with the success of ULT. Sixty-six gout patients on pharmacologic ULT were enrolled in the study. Non-adherence to pharmacologic ULT was an exclusion criterium. Demographic and therapeutic features and co-illnesses and disease features of the patients were obtained during the study. Then, we compared these parameters between the patients with successful ULT and inadequate ULT. Adherence to diet was found different between the groups (OR, 7.00; CL%95 2.27 - 21.56). All other features including maximum allopurinol dosage were similar. We found that diet was the only factor that relate with success of ULT, while patients were on pharmacologic ULT. Non-adherence to both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic measures is the main problem during ULT. Therefore, clinicians should emphasize the importance of all segments of ULT, including diet with informing patients during visits about the nature of disease and benefits of ULT.

Background Dietary supplements are frequently used for the treatment of several medical conditions, both prescribed by physicians or self administered. However, evidence of benefit and safety of these supplements is usually limited or absent. Objectives To assess the efficacy and safety of dietary supplementation for people with chronic gout. Search methods We performed a search in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL on 6 June 2013. We applied no date or language restrictions. In addition, we performed a handsearch of the abstracts from the 2010 to 2013 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) conferences, checked the references of all included studies and trial registries. Selection criteria We considered all published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs that compared dietary supplements with no supplements, placebo, another supplement or pharmacological agents for adults with chronic gout for inclusion. Dietary supplements included, but were not limited to, amino acids, antioxidants, essential minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids, prebiotic agents, probiotic agents and vitamins. The main outcomes were reduction in frequency of gouty attacks and trial participant withdrawal due to adverse events. We also considered pain reduction, health-related quality of life, serum uric acid (sUA) normalisation, function (i.e. activity limitation), tophus regression and the rate of serious adverse events. Data collection and analysis We used standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. Main results We identified two RCTs (160 participants) that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. As these two trials evaluated different diet supplements (enriched skim milk powder (SMP) and vitamin C) with different outcomes (gout flare prevention for enriched SMP and sUA reduction for vitamin C), we reported the results separately. One trial including 120 participants, at moderate risk of bias, compared SMP enriched with glycomacropeptides (GMP) with unenriched SMP and with lactose over three months. Participants were predominantly men aged in their 50's who had severe gout. The frequency of acute gout attacks, measured as the number of flares per month, decreased in all three groups over the study period. The effects of enriched SMP (SMP/GMP/G600) compared with the combined control groups (SMP and lactose powder) at three months in terms of mean number of gout flares per month were uncertain (mean ± standard deviation (SD) flares per month: 0.49 ± 1.52 in SMP/GMP/G60 group versus 0.70 ± 1.28 in control groups; mean difference (MD) -0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.76 to 0.34; low-quality evidence). The number of withdrawals due to adverse effects was similar in both groups although again the results were imprecise (7/40 in SMP/GMP/G600 group versus 11/80 in control groups; risk ratio (RR) 1.27, 95% CI 0.53 to 3.03; low-quality evidence). The findings for adverse events were also uncertain (2/40 in SMP/GMP/G600 group versus 3/80 in control groups; RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.23 to 7.66; low-quality evidence). Gastrointestinal events were the most commonly reported adverse effects. Pain from self reported gout flares (measured on a 10-point Likert scale) improved slightly more in the SMP/GMP/G600 group compared with controls (mean ± SD reduction -1.97 ± 2.28 points in SMP/GMP/G600 group versus -0.94 ± 2.25 in control groups; MD -1.03, 95% CI -1.96 to -0.10; low-quality evidence). This was an absolute reduction of 10% (95% CI 20% to 1% reduction), which may not be of clinical relevance. Results were imprecise for the outcome improvement in physical function (mean ± SD Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)-II (scale 0 to 3, 0 = no disability): 0.08 ± 0.23 in SMP/GMP/G60 group versus 0.11 ± 0.31 in control groups; MD -0.03, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.08; low-quality evidence). Similarly, results for sUA reduction were imprecise (mean ± SD reduction: -0.025 ± 0.067 mmol/L in SMP/GMP/G60 group versus -0.010 ± 0.069 in control groups; MD -0.01, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.01; low-quality evidence). The study did not report tophus regression and health-related quality of life impact. One trial including 40 participants, at moderate to high risk of bias, compared vitamin C alone with allopurinol and with allopurinol plus vitamin C in a three-arm trial. We only compared vitamin C with allopurinol in this review. Participants were predominantly middle-aged men, and their severity of gout was representative of gout in general. The effect of vitamin C on the rate of gout attacks was not assessed. Vitamin C did not lower sUA as much as allopurinol (-0.014 mmol/L in vitamin C group versus -0.118 mmol/L in allopurinol group; MD 0.10, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.15; low-quality evidence). The study did not assess tophus regression, pain reduction or disability or health-related quality of life impact. The study reported no adverse events and no participant withdrawal due to adverse events. Authors' conclusions While dietary supplements may be widely used for gout, this review has shown a paucity of high-quality evidence assessing dietary supplementation.

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthropathy caused by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. The burden of gout is substantial with increasing prevalence of gout globally. The prevalence of Gout in the United States has increased by over 7% in the last two decades. Initially, it was believed that MSU crystal deposits occur only in the joints with the involvement of the periarticular soft tissues, but recent studies have shown the presence of MSU crystal deposition in extra-articular sites as well. Human plasma becomes supersaturated with uric acid at 6.8 mg/dl, a state called hyperuricemia. Beyond this level, uric acid crystals precipitate out of the plasma and deposit in soft tissues, joints, kidneys, etc. If left untreated, hyperuricemia leads to chronic gout characterized by the deposition of tophi in soft tissues such as the joints, tendons, and bursae. With the advent of newer imaging techniques such as DECT, MSU crystals can be visualized in various extra-articular sites. Extra-articular deposition of MSU crystals is believed to be the causative factor for the development of multiple comorbidities in gout patients. Here, we review the literature on extra-articular deposition of urate crystals and the role of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) in elucidating multi-organ involvement. DECT has emerged as an invaluable alternative for accurate and efficient MSU crystal deposition detection. Future studies using DECT can help determine the clinical consequences of extra-articular deposition of MSU in gout patients.

Gout is a disorder of purine metabolism a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot, and swollen joint. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensity in less than twelve hours. The first metatarsophalangeal joint is affected in about half of cases. It may also result in tophi, renal stones, or urate nephropathy.1 Commonly, but very large tophi are unusual in chronic gout. Here we present 52 years male patient presenting with unusually large tophi over bilateral foot, with raised serum uric acid levels. In a untreated cases of chronic gout, patients can develop severe destructive poly articular involvement and tophi. Treatment aims at control of serum uric acid levels which can cause regression of tophi. And surgical excision of very large tophi. Keywords: Gout, Arthritis, Tophi, Surgical excision.

Gout is one of the utmost encountered inflammatory arthritis in clinical practice. The purpose of this article is to review the pathophysiology, management and epidemiology of acute and chronic gout. The occurrence of gout throughout the globe has also been documented. Therapies for pain management during gout have also been discussed. Treatment medications of gout can be mainly classified as uricosurics and uric acid synthesis inhibitors, these are discussed in detail in reference to their pharmacokinetics.

Gout is an arthritic syndrome that causes extensive joint damage and discomfort. It is due to an elevated uric acid level in the blood which deposits in the joints. This causes an inflammatory response and joint damage. Gout typically presents as an acute monoarticular attack, resulting in hot, erythematous, swollen, and exquisitely tender joint. Tophaceous gout, which is commonly a later complication of long-standing gout, can rarely be the presenting manifestation of gout. Tophaceous gout is considered a late complication of chronic gout. As early recognition of gout can lead to prompt initiation of treatment and improvement in clinical status, a patient with an alcohol use history who presents with polyarticular swelling and tenderness should raise the suspicion of a tophaceous gout exacerbation even if the patient does not have a documented history of gout.

Objective This study aimed to examine the diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels for identifying bacterial infection in febrile patients with chronic gouty arthritis. Methods Sixty-six febrile patients with chronic gouty arthritis were divided into non-bacterial infection (n = 45) and bacterial infection groups (n = 21). PCT levels were measured by an immunoassay. Other laboratory parameters, including the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cells (WBCs), and the neutrophil ratio were extracted from medical records. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate diagnostic values and accuracy. Results Serum PCT levels, the ESR, CRP levels, WBC count, and neutrophil ratio were not different between the groups. To assess the ability of PCT to discriminate bacterial infection in febrile patients with chronic gouty arthritis (cut-off value: 0.5 ng/mL), the sensitivity and specificity of PCT were 22.2% and 61.5%, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of serum PCT levels was 0.526. The AUCs of related inflammatory indicators were 0.530 for the ESR, 0.635 for CRP, 0.577 for the WBC count, and 0.712 for the neutrophil ratio. Conclusion Serum PCT levels may not be a good biomarker for bacterial infection in febrile patients with chronic gouty arthritis.

Background: Gout is one of the most common inflammatory arthropathies, and the pathogenesis is well understood. In Australia, most patients with chronic tophaceous gout (CTG) are treated by general practitioners (GPs). Urate-lowering therapy, if adhered to continuously, can suppress the disease, reduce the likelihood of flares and prevent long-term complications such as disfiguring tophi and joint damage. Many rheumatology societies recommend a treat-to-target (T2T) approach, lowering serum urate to 0.35 mmol/L or below with urate‑lowering therapy. Objectives: The aim of this article is to discuss inconsistencies in treatment guidelines, identify patient and physician barriers to optimal gout care, explain why a T2T approach is appropriate and make a series of recommendations that are practical for GPs. Discussion: Despite an in-depth understanding of this controllable disease and the availability of simple, safe treatments, chronic gout remains poorly managed. The development of Australian gout guidelines that are easily implemented by GPs is vital and overdue.

Introduction Pegloticase, a potent uricolytic biologic enzyme, has been shown to be an effective therapeutic option in patients with uncontrolled gout. However, there are limited data on clinical response after a gap in therapy and retreatment with pegloticase. Case Series This report describes four patients with chronic gout who were successfully managed with pegloticase and were retreated following a gap in therapy. Patient charts from a practice-based rheumatology clinic were retrospectively analyzed; four male patients, aged 70–75 years, with chronic gout and a more than 4-week gap in pegloticase therapy were reviewed. Before pegloticase treatment, patients had received allopurinol or febuxostat, but they continued exhibiting symptoms, including visible tophi and serum uric acid (SUA) levels of 5.2–10.2 mg/dL (309–607 μmol/L), despite oral urate-lowering therapy. The first pegloticase treatment (8-mg infusion every 2 weeks) lasted 22–124 weeks. Pegloticase resolved tophi and improved SUA to below 1.5 mg/dL (less than 89 μmol/L); however, patients discontinued pegloticase because of symptom resolution, poor adherence, or personal reasons. Following treatment gaps (12–156 weeks), symptoms and SUA levels increased and patients were retreated with pegloticase (4–147 weeks). In three of four patients, reinitiating pegloticase lowered SUA levels to below 1.0 mg/dL (less than 59 μmol/L) and resolved symptoms. One patient experienced an infusion reaction and discontinued; no infusion reactions, gout flares, or adverse events occurred among the other three patients. Conclusion Retreatment with pegloticase after a gap in therapy appears to be an effective and tolerated option in prior responders. Funding Horizon Pharma.

Objetivo: O objetivo desta revisão é fornecer informação atualizada e orientações práticas sobre a abordagem da gota na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Métodos: Foram pesquisadas normas de orientação clínica, revisões sistemáticas, meta-análises e estudos originais publicados entre 1 janeiro de 2011 e 31 dezembro de 2016, nas línguas inglesa, portuguesa e espanhola. Resultados: Os fármacos de primeira linha no tratamento da gota aguda são os anti-inflamatórios não esteroides, a colchicina e os corticoides, em monoterapia ou associação. Na gota crônica são usados hipouricemiantes, sendo a primeira linha o alopurinol. O febuxostate e os uricosúricos são alternativas ao alopurinol em casos de intolerância ou ineficácia. A profilaxia das crises de gota agudas está recomendada quando se inicia o tratamento hipouricemiante durante pelo menos 6 meses. Conclusão: A abordagem correta da gota deve fazer parte das competências de um médico especialista em Atenção Primária à Saúde de modo a prestar cuidados adequados à comunidade.

Flare prophylaxis is recommended during urate-lowering therapy (ULT) despite lack of proven benefit especially when initiating febuxostat. We investigated if colchicine or steroids administration during initiation of febuxostat for chronic gouty arthritis reduces the frequency and/or severity of acute gout flares.Patients with confirmed diagnosis of gout starting febuxostat were retrospectively studied. Frequency, severity, and length of flares were analyzed. Assessment of severity based on a visual analog scale (VAS).Two hundred and seventy-three patients were studied. The mean dose of colchicine and steroids was 0.53 ± 0.15 mg PO QD and 7.55 ± 1.30 mg prednisone equivalent PO QD; while the duration was 6.13 ± 1.14 and 6.20 ± 1.36 months, respectively. Subjects treated with colchicine and steroids suffered fewer total flares (0.30, 0.96 vs 2.47, p = .000), fewer flares from 0 to 3 months (0.26, 0.71 vs 1.72, p = .000), less severe flares assessed by VAS than those without prophylactic therapy (3.65, 3.49 vs 5.54, p = .000). Both total flares (p = .003) and flares from 0 to 3 months (p = .008) of the colchicine group were fewer than the steroids group. There were no significant differences in length of flares among groups (p = .815). Both colchicine and steroids were well tolerated.The use of colchicine or steroids prophylaxis reduces the frequency and severity of acute gout flares during initiation of febuxostat for chronic gouty arthritis. Colchicine is superior to steroids in flares prophylaxis. Prophylactic therapy with colchicine 0.5 mg PO QD or steroids 7.5 mg prednisone equivalent PO QD for 6 months is suggested.

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in humans. Gout treatment includes rapid initiation of anti-inflammatory medications for acute attacks and chronically treating with urate lowering drugs as well as chronic anti-inflammatory prophylaxis. Areas covered: This review aims to provide an overview and discussion of the safety concerns of current treatment options available for gout. Expert opinion: Gout is a curable disease with appropriate treatment. The advent of new therapies provides encouraging opportunities to improve gout management. However, clinicians should be aware of some of the safety concerns of medications used to treat acute and chronic gout. When prescribing medications for gout one has to be mindful of the presence of comorbidities commonly affecting gout patients that may affect drug safety and efficacy, especially in the elderly and in patients treated with multiple drugs. The benefits of gout drugs, usually, outweigh their safety concerns. Studies are needed in gout patients with chronic kidney disease and/or cardiovascular disease, so that escalation of dosing /combination of anti-inflammatory drugs needed to suppress gouty inflammation as well as escalation of dosing/combination of urate lowering drugs needed to achieve target serum urate level will lead to better understanding of gout treatment safety issues.

Due to the increasing prevalence of gout, particularly in old age, the disease is becoming of increasing importance in Germany. Gout is one of the most common forms of recurrent inflammatory arthritis and is induced by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid and other tissues. The principal goals of therapy in chronic gout are the symptomatic treatment of the acute joint inflammation and the causal treatment of the underlying metabolic cause, the hyperuricemia. Only a consistent and permanent reduction of the serum uric acid level ultimately results in an efficient avoidance of further gout attacks and therefore the prevention of structural damage. Due to an often inadequate treatment of gout, the target of healing the disease is often not achieved. A correct and timely diagnosis and adequate assessment of comorbidities associated with gout are, however, of substantial importance for patient and physician to achieve remission of the disease. In order to create a solid basis for a timely and effective treatment of affected patients, in 2016 the German Society of Rheumatology (DGRh) initiated the development of S2e guidelines on gouty arthritis for specialists. This article summarizes these S2e guidelines on the management of gouty arthritis in the specialist sector.

WOS: 000439909900007 Gout disease is an inflammatory disease triggered by monosodium urate monohydrate crystals that accumulate in tissues due to hyperuricemia, which usually seen in males over 40 years. Chronic obstructive polyarthritis and chronic gouty arthritis coursing with tophi may develop in patients who are not adequately treated. Tophi are frequently observed in hand-foot fingers, olecranon bursa, prepatellar bursa, ear helix and achilles tendon. As for that in our case, tophi were present in bilateral lumbar paravertebral muscles and left cervical paravertebral muscles in addition to hand-foot joints, ear helix and olecranon bursa. In the patient who started colchicine 1 mg/day and allopurinol 300 mg/day, the joint pain improved and the tofus in the ear helix disappeared completely at the 6th month control. In conclusion, it should be kept in mind to clinical practice that in chronic cases, tophi may localized in atypical regions other than classical localizations, and tophus may lead to joint destruction due to delayed treatment.

Gout is a common inflammatory arthropathy with a high prevalence worldwide. Increased levels of uric acid in the blood lead to deposition of monosodium urate crystals in the joints, inflammation, and pain. Acute gout attacks are often sudden, monoarticular, and typically resolve within a week, whereas chronic gout is often polyarticular with baseline pain between attacks. In chronic gout, depositions of uric acid known as tophi can form throughout the body. Despite the high prevalence of gout and the frequency with which tophi occur, ulceration over tophi is surprisingly rare. We report the case of a 38-year-old man, undiagnosed with gout, who presented to clinic for evaluation of ulcers with chalky white granules. The wounds were determined to be ulcerated tophaceous gout. Risk factors for ulceration over tophi and reported treatments are discussed.

Objective We hypothesized that chronic gouty arthritis patients would develop an immune response to type II collagen that would be revealed by the presence of anti-type II collagen (CII) antibodies in serum, which may in turn be involved in progression to non-remitting arthritis. Methods Chronic gouty arthritis was defined as crystal-confirmed gout in patients with no pain-free intercritical period, with or without the presence of tophi, who did not have clinical features of other forms of chronic arthritis. Age-matched gout patients suffering acute gouty attacks who had definite intercritical periods were selected as a control group. Four RA patients who had active disease were enrolled as a positive control group. Anti-CII antibodies were quantified in patient sera via ELISA using a human IgG anti-CII antibody assay kit. Correlations between anti-CII levels and clinical parameters were sought. Results Fifteen chronic gouty arthritis patients were identified. The anti-CII level was significantly higher among subjects with chronic gout compared to controls, but did not significantly differ in control gout patients during acute attacks and in the intercritical periods. Five patients with chronic gouty arthritis had anti-CII antibody levels higher than 200 AU/mL, whereas only one control gout patient exhibited this feature. Two of four patients with active RA had anti-CII antibody levels higher than 200 U/mL.Patients with tophi had significantly higher anti-CII levels than those without, whereas patients showing radiographic erosion tended to have higher anti-CII levels than those without. Conclusion Patients with chronic gouty arthritis had significantly higher levels of anti-CII antibodies than control gout patients. Such antibody production would be triggered by initiation of cartilage damage but may also play a role in perpetuation of inflammation.

Introduction The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of bone erosions in the feet of patients with gout using CT and thereby to test the hypothesis that gout is an asymmetric arthropathy. Methods CT scans of both feet were obtained from 25 patients with chronic gout. CT scans were scored for bone erosion using a semi-quantitative method based on the rheumatoid arthritis MRI scoring system (RAMRIS). CT bone erosion was assessed at 22 bones in each foot (total 1,100 bones) by two independent radiologists. Symmetry was assessed by two methods: (i) comparing right and left foot scores for each patient; and (ii) calculating the proportion of paired joints with or without erosions. Results Observer agreement was excellent (intra-class correlation coefficient 0.92). In the group overall, the difference in scores between the feet was not significant (Student's t-test P = 0.8). In 17 of 25 patients, the difference in erosion scores between the two feet was less than the inter-observer difference. In 24 of 25 patients, the proportion of paired joints was greater than 0.5, indicating symmetric disease. Conclusions Erosive disease from gout is, in fact, a symmetric process in our patient group. This finding is contrary to the established view of gout as an asymmetric arthritis and lends new insight into the behaviour of this common disease.

Background Lowering plasma urate in subjects with gout is associated with an increase in flares because of an altered equilibrium between soluble urate and uric acid crystals.1 Details of the relationship between plasma urate lowering and gout flares have not been fully delineated. Pegloticase is a mammalian recombinant uricase conjugated to polyethylene glycol approved for the treatment of chronic gout refractory to conventional oral urate lowering therapy.2–4 Results from the two 6 month randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of pegloticase showed that during months 1–3, there was an increase in pegloticase-treated subjects experiencing gout flares vs those receiving placebo. However, the reported analysis did not separate results for subjects who did and did not respond to pegloticase with a sustained reduction in plasma urate levels or relate flares to plasma urate levels. Objectives To determine factors associated with the occurrence of flares in subjects who did and did not respond to pegloticase in the two RCTs for this therapy. Methods This analysis used results from 2 pivotal RCTs2 of pegloticase (8 mg every 2 weeks [q2] or every 4 weeks [q4]) vs placebo in subjects with chronic refractory gout. A responder was defined as a subject with plasma urate Results There were increases in the frequency of subjects experiencing flares and the mean flare frequency in the pegloticase group vs placebo during the first 3 months of the trial (figure 1A). In contrast, there were marked reductions in both outcomes during months 3–6 (figure 1B). The increase in flares in the first 3 months was most evident (p=0.0006) and the decrease during the second 3 months was least marked (p=0.0006) in subjects receiving q4 pegloticase. Previous analysis indicated that q2 pegloticase caused persistently lowered plasma urate in responders, whereas q4 administration resulted in a more saw tooth pattern.5 Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that the only variable associated with flares in the treated subjects was the absolute change in plasma urate prior to these events. Assessment of plasma urate at both 2 weeks and immediately before flares indicated that larger differences between these two values were associated with increased flare occurrence (p=0.002). Conclusions Flares associated with pegloticase treatment in subjects with chronic refractory gout were increased most markedly in responders to monthly administration and were significantly associated with fluctuations in plasma urate levels. Such fluctuations are much more common with monthly administration of pegloticase vs the recommended biweekly treatment regimen. References [1] Wortmann RL, et al. Clin Ther2010;32:2386. [2] Sundy JS, et al. JAMA2011;306:711. [3] Mandell BF, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol2016;68(suppl 10):212. [4] Mandell BF, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol2017; 69(suppl 10):2054. [5] Lipsky PE, et al. Arthritis Res Ther2014;16:R60. Disclosure of Interest L. Calabrese: None declared, T. Fields Consultant for: Horizon Pharma, Takeda, Ironwood, Speakers bureau: Horizon Pharma, Takeda, Ironwood, A. Yeo Consultant for: Horizon Pharma, P. Lipsky Consultant for: Horizon Pharma

Background In 2016 EULAR evidence based clinical guidelines on Gout treatment have been updated.1 Objectives to assess current daily practice physicians’ approach to management of chronic gout patients Methods a cross-sectional anonymous survey had been offered to hospital and outpatient departments physicians dealing with gout patients resulting in 97 back-feed replies yielded. This publication deals with chronic gout treatment practice. Results all survey participants were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 consisted of 18 rheumatologists (professional experience median 19.6 years, range 1 to 43), group 2 included 60 general practitioners (GP, professional experience 27; 4–47), group 3 included other specialists (cardiologists, surgeons etc.) who reported frequent contacts with gout patients (professional experience 16.5; 1–44). Rheumatologists reported to contact median 15 (range 2–40) gouty subjects per month, while group 2 reported to see 31 – 10 and group 3 consults 41 – 12 patients per month. All rheumatologists and 45 GPs reported initiation of allopurinol or febuxostat after gouty arthritis resolution, while 11 general practitioners did not start antihyperuricemic drugs in subjects with kidney and/or cardiovascular comorbidities. In Group 3 only 6 responders had experience of antihyperuricemic drugs administration, but 3 of them reported allopurinol initiation during gout flare. Only 2 rheumatologists and 2 GPs were aware of gout flare low dose colchicin prophylaxis during allopurinol dose adjustment. Administration of maximal allopurinol daily maintenance doses over 300 mg was reported only by 7 rheumatologists and 7 GPs. Other specialists did not have any personal experience of allopurinol dose adjustment. By responders’ assessment every 2–3 patient continues to experience gout flares in spite of prescribed treatmen Conclusions intensive educational intervention is urgently required to change current practice of chronic gout treatment in Russia. Reference [1] Richette P, et al. 2016updated EULAR evidence-based recommendations for the management of gout. Ann Rheum Dis2017;76:29–42 Disclosure of Interest None declared

Background in everyday practice chronic gout patients are frequently consulted by general practitioners, surgeons, cardiologists and other specialists. In general, chronic gout patients have been reported to be quite incompliant, but it remains unclear whether low compliance depends on the specialty of the prescribing physician.1 Objectives to compare the clinical course of gout in patients consulted by different specialists and to identify factors of low patients’ compliance in Russia. Methods cross-sectional study included 56 chronic gout patients aged 31 to 82 (median 54 years). Average gout symptoms duration was 6.8 years, average attacks frequency was 6.4 per year. Tofi were present in 21.4% of patients. All subjects were divided into three groups: Group 1 consisted of treatment naive patients at primary rheumatologist visit, Group 2 and Group 3 included patients who had previously been treated. Group 2 subjects were visiting both non-rheumatologists and rheumatologists. Group 3 were managed by rheumatologists strictly according to the EULAR evidence-based recommendations.2 Results Group 1 primary consulted rheumatologists at the age of 47.3±14.5, Group 2 patients were assessed at the age of 58.4±15.2, and Group 3 were aged 51.2±13.5. Disease symptoms duration was maximal in Group 2 (10.6±10.6 years) while 5 years in Groups 1 and Group 3. Flares frequency was the lowest in Group 3 (2.2±1.8 per year), while in Group 2 it was extremely high – (10,58±10,56 per year). The incidence of tofi and urolithiasis was lowest in the Group 3 whereas every third treatment naive patient had tophi or/and urolythiasis. To relieve gouty arthritis vast majority of patients used NSAIDs, though at 50% strength of the recommended dose. Only 9%–14% of flares were controlled by colchicine in Groups 2 and 3. Colchicine prevention of flares was prescribed only in 45% of cases by rheumatologists. The most frequent urate-lowering therapy (ULT) was allopurinol, it was taken only by 63% of patients of the third group and 35.7% in the second group. While patients in the third group took the drug daily, the other patients did not follow the administration scheme. Serum creatinine level was the lowest (87.5±16.8 μmol/L) in Group 3, being the highest in treatment of naive patients (102.7±30.0 μmol/L). Serum uric acid target level was achieved only in the compliant Group 3 patients (343 μmol/L), while Group 2 levels varied between 462–546 μmol/L, being the highest (625 μmol/L) in treatment naive Group 1. Low compliance risk factors were: age under 45, absence of comorbidity and long term multiple drugs consumption. Conclusions chronic gout patients’ compliance and quality of patient management can be assessed as alarmingly low. Rheumatologists adhering to EULAR evidence-based approach to gout management can actually achieve recommended treatment targets. Both general practitioners and other specialists are in need of consistent educational program on gout management. Younger and comorbidity-free gout patients should be encouraged to follow attending physician’s recommendations. Reference [1] Burrell A, Wong P, Ollendorf D, et al. Defining compliance/adherence and persistence: ISPOR Special Interest Working Group. Value Health2005; 8:A194–5. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in adults. Given the increasing prevalence of gout and associated comorbidities, there is a growing need for better therapeutic options. While current treatment options satisfactorily control the disease in some patients, many patients, especially those with associated comorbidities, have contraindications to current treatments and need more treatment options. New drugs are needed to further improve our treatment, especially in patients with associated comorbidities. The duration of therapy for acute and chronic gout as well as combination of therapies, recommended by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines, need to be further studied. The past decade has been an exciting time for gout research with significant advances in our understanding of disease pathogenesis and its treatment. The new ACR guidelines have improved gout visibility and will improve gout awareness and treatment in the future. With growing treatment options, gout is becoming a disease that can be cured.

Objective Comorbidity is an important concern for chronic gout patients. We evaluated the relationship between comorbidity profiles and gout in Taiwan aborigines and Taiwanese Han. Methods We used the claims data from the Taiwan national health insurance database for 2004 to 2006. Physician-diagnosed gout and comorbidities were coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Total sampling from Pingtung County of southern Taiwan included 37,482 aborigines (gout cases, n = 3906 and controls, n = 33,576) and 37,451 Han (gout cases, n = 1115 and controls, n = 36,336). Results In 2006, the gout prevalences were 10.42% and 2.98% (prevalence ratio [PR] = 3.50) in the aborigines and Han general populations, respectively. The prevalences of uric acid nephrolithiasis and tophi were higher in aborigines (0.42% and 0.30%, respectively) than in Han (0.09% and 0.04%, respectively). When stratified by comorbidity status, the prevalences of gout were 4.49% and 27.34% in aborigines and 1.52% and 9.44% in Han (approximate PR = 3.00). Similarly, the prevalence ratios of gout in the comorbidity group, compared with the non-comorbidity group, were 6.09 in aborigines and 6.23 in Han. Multivariate odds ratios [ORs] showed that hypercholesterolemia, hyperglyceridemia, essential hypertension and renal insufficiency were the common comorbidities of gout (OR ≥ 1.63); heart failure exerted a significant effect only in aborigines (OR = 1.55). For five comorbidity factors, patients with multiple comorbidities had higher gout prevalence (maximum OR = 12.90). Conclusion Gout prevalence was higher in aborigines, both with and without comorbidities, than in Han. The comorbid diseases and comorbidity aggregations showed a substantial association with gout occurrence in both ethnicities.

Objectives Acute gout is a common arthritis that may eventually develop into chronic tophaceous gout (CTG). CTG usually is manifested by recurrent gout attacks. The diagnosis and treatment of CTG is challenging. Although the emergence of CTG without previous gout attacks is uncommon, it is important to recognize this unusual gout presentation. Methods Herein, we present two cases of CTG, occurring in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on diuretics, who presented without a prior history of acute gout attacks. We also searched PUBMED, Ovid MEDLINE, and Google scholar (1970–2017), for “tophi as the initial manifestation of gout” and “chronic gout without previous attacks”, and extracted relevant data. Results The search disclosed one retrospective study and several case reports and case series describing 96 patients. Clinical and laboratory data was extracted from 34 patients. We found that a specific group of patients, e.g., elderly patients, most often female patients, suffering from CKD, and treated with diuretics, are specifically reported in the English medical literature to present with CTG as their first manifestation of gout. Conclusion The two cases and our literature review try to emphasize the many faces of chronic gout, in particular, its presentation without previous gout attacks.

Background Ultrasonography (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and X-ray are the alternative diagnostic modalities used to identify affected joints and surrounding tissues (tophi, erosions and synovitis) in gout patients, but the potential of each method for sequential assessment of disease regression in pts receiving urate-lowering therapy is not sufficiently studied [1] Objectives Comparison of US, CT, X-ray and MRI efficacy for sequential assessment of affected joints in pts treated with urate-lowering agents. Methods The open prospective study was conducted in 2013–2015 yy at V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology. 22 pts with crystal-verified gout (4 (15%) f and 18 (85%) m), mean age – 54,5±12,7 years, were included. The dose of allopurinol administered in all pts was adjusted by titration starting from 100 mg/day. Instrumental diagnostic examination (US, MRI, CT and plain X-ray of knee joints) was performed at baseline and after one year of follow up. US of knee joints was performed using multi-frequency linear array transducer, at 7 to 17 MHz frequencies; for MRI examination “Esaote Artrosan 0.25TI” was used, GE “Light Speed” - for CT scans, and Stephanix – for plain X-ray examination. Applied descriptive statistics STATISTICA 10.0 (StatSoft/Inc., USA) package was used for statistical analysis. Results Mean serum level of uric acid decreased from 568±115 μmol/l to 302±135 μmol/l. The target level ( Conclusions MRI and US, as for synovitis, erosions and tophi dynamics, are comparable, at that for erosions MRI is more accurate. CT is the most informative approach to monitor intraosseous tohhi regression. X-ray is low- informative modality for sequential assessment of gout. References Grainger R, Dalbeth N, Keen H, et al. Imaging as an outcome measure in gout studies: report from the OMERACT gout working group. J Rheumatol 2015; 42(12):2460e4. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of ultrasonographic gout specific signs of foot joints. Methods This is a cross-sectional study which includes 15 patients with chronic gout, defined according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR 1977). Ultrasound (US) examination was performed using a high-frequency linear probe (Toshiba Xario®, frequency (8–14 MHz)) in B mode. 330 articular sites were studied at their dorsal surface. The ultrasound has objectified the presence of two signs: hyperechoic band over the superficial margin of the articular cartilage described as a double contour (DC) and tophaceous deposits at the joint cavity. Results The mean age at onset was 54.7±12,6 years, and the median diagnosis duration was 0 (0.3) years). The results of the US examination are summarized in Table 1. Conclusions This study showed a predilection for the gout specific ultrasound signs (DC and tophaceous deposits) in the tarsometatarsal and metatarsophalangeal joints, especially in the first MTP. The contribution of musculoskeletal ultrasound seems to be very interesting to objectify the presence of gout specific signs of the foot joints. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Objectives To compare the prevalence of ultrasonographic gout specific signs at the dorsal and plantar surfaces of the metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP). Methods This is a cross-sectional study which includes 15 patients with chronic gout, defined according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR 1977). Ultrasound (US) examination was performed using a high-frequency linear probe (Toshiba Xario®, frequency (8–14 MHz)) in B mode. 150 articular sites were studied at their dorsal and plantar surfaces. The ultrasound has objectified the presence of two signs: hyperechoic band over the superficial margin of the articular cartilage described as a double contour (DC) and the tophaceous deposits at the joint cavity. We compared the prevalence of the two signs between the dorsal and palmar surfaces at each site studied. Results The mean age at onset was 54.7±12,6 years, and the median diagnosis duration was 0 (0.3) years). The results of the US examination are summarized in Table 1. Conclusions Our study suggests that globally, DC predilect significatily in dorsal than in plantar surfaces of MTP joints. These results should be verified on a larger population. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Objectives To compare the prevalence of ultrasonographic gout specific sign double contour between the dorsal and palmar surfaces of the hand joints. Methods This is a cross-sectional study which includes 15 patients with chronic gout, defined according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR 1977). Ultrasound (US) examination was performed using a high-frequency linear probe (Toshiba Xario®, frequency (8–14 MHz)) in B and Doppler modes. 560 articular sites were studied at their dorsal and palmar surfaces. We compared the prevalence of the hyperechoic band over the superficial margin of the articular cartilage described as a double contour (DC) between the dorsal and palmar surfaces at each site studied. Results The mean age at onset was 54.7±12,6 years, and the median diagnosis duration was 0 (0.3) years). The results of the US examination are summarized in Table 1 Conclusions Our study suggests that globally, DC predilect significatily in dorsal than in palmar surfaces of hand joints. These results should be verified on a larger population. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of ultrasonographic gout specific signs of hand and fingers joints. Methods This is a cross-sectional study which includes 15 patients with chronic gout, defined according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR 1977). Ultrasound (US) examination was performed using a high-frequency linear probe (Toshiba Xario®, frequency (8–14 MHz)) in B mode. 540 articular sites were studied at their dorsal surface. The ultrasound has objectified the presence of two signs: hyperechoic band over the superficial margin of the articular cartilage described as a double contour (DC) and the tophaceous deposits at the joint cavity. Results The mean age at onset was 54.7±12,6 years, and the median diagnosis duration was 0 (0.3) years). The results of the US examination are summarized in Table 1. Conclusions This study showed a predilection for the gout specific ultrasound signs (DC and tophaceous deposits) of the wrist and MCP joints. The contribution of musculoskeletal ultrasound seems to be very interesting to objectify the presence of gout specific signs in the hand and fingers joints. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Objective. The aim of this study was to systematically review outcome domains and measurement tools used in gout trials and their accordance with the preliminary OMERACT gout recommendations published in 2005. Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs investigating any intervention for gout published up to February 2013 were included. Recruitment start dates and all measured outcomes were extracted. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Numbers of OMERACT domains were compared for trials at low vs unclear/high RoB and for recruitment start date before 2005 or 2005 and later. Results. Of 9784 articles screened, 38 acute and 30 chronic gout trials were included. Mean (s.d.) number of OMERACT outcomes was 2.9 (1.1) (out of 5) and 2.5 (1.2) (out of 9) for acute and chronic gout trials, respectively. Health-related quality of life, participation and joint damage imaging were not assessed in any trial. Tools used to measure individual domains varied widely. There were no differences in the number of OMERACT outcomes reported in acute or chronic gout trials recruiting before 2005 vs 2005 or later [mean (s.d.): 3.0 (1.1) vs 3.5 (1.3), P = 0.859 and 2.7 (1.1) vs 2.8 (1.4), P = 0.960, respectively]. While both acute and chronic trials at low RoB reported more OMERACT domains than trials at unclear/high RoB, these differences were not significant. Industry-funded trials and trials performed by OMERACT investigators reported more OMERACT outcome domains. Conclusion. We found no appreciable impact of the OMERACT recommendations for gout trials to date

Gout is a common disorder with clinical signs and symptoms resulting from inflammatory responses to monosodium urate crystals deposited in tissues from extracellular fluids saturated for urate. Long-term management of gout focuses on nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic means to achieve and maintain serum urate levels in a subsaturating range. Despite a firm understanding of gout pathophysiology, means to achieve certain diagnosis, and a variety of effective therapies, treatment outcomes remain suboptimal. In this review, available nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies for chronic gout are discussed and a framework is provided for successful achievement and maintenance of goal-range serum urate levels.

Objective: To assess the urate-lowering efficacy and safety of Febuxostat versusAllopurinol in subjects with hyperuricemia and gout. Study design: Randomized controlled trial.Place and duration of study: Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Mardan MedicalComplex Teaching Hospital Bacha khan Medical College Mardan from February 2012 to March2013. Material and Methods: Fifty patients of chronic gout and hyperuricemia fulfilling theinclusion criteria were divided into two equal groups by random method having 25 patients eachand received either a fixed dose(80 mg) of Febuxostat (Group A) or Allopurinol (Group B) 300mgonce daily for 16 weeks. The primary end point was the percentage of patients reaching serumurate level

Joint Bone Spine - In Press.Proof corrected by the author Available online since lundi 20 mars 2017

Objective To determine patient-derived weights or prioritization for core outcome domains in chronic gout clinical studies. Methods Three patient groups participated in a conjoint decision-making exercise using 1000Minds software, which asked participants to make repeated judgments regarding which of 2 hypothetical patients with gout represented the best response to treatment. Each scenario compared 2 patients on the basis of change in 2 of 5 core outcome domains at a time. Agreement of 80% of the group was required to answer each scenario. Re-voting was performed once after discussion in instances of disagreement. Results The relative importance accorded to each outcome domain was different across the 3 groups of patients. There was some consistency that tophi was the least or second to least important outcome domain for every group and pain between attacks was ranked in the bottom third of priority for all groups. Gout attacks were ranked as the second or third most important domain in each group. However, the relative importance of serum urate (SUA) and activity limitations was quite different among the 3 groups, with 1 group ranking SUA as the most important outcome and 1 group ranking it as the second to least important outcome. Conclusion Despite some consistency in the relative value of some outcome domains for chronic gout studies, there is sufficient disagreement in the relative importance of other domains of outcome to challenge the validity of constructing a composite index of response that would be applicable to most gout patients.

Gout is one of the most common inflammatory arthritides that predominantly affects the first metatarsophalangeal joint. The underlying inflammatory process is elicited by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the affected joint that are termed tophi and which may in the course of chronic gout progress into subcutaneous depositions of tophi. In this case report, we present a patient (PID: 6925981) who was seen in our outpatient department with a first episode of tophaceous gout in the finger, an infrequently seen condition that mostly affects older men with long-term gout. We discuss the case in view of the current literature on diagnosis and treatment of tophaceous gout.

This aimed to compare the three radiographic methods of digital tomosynthesis (DT), plain radiography, and computed tomography (CT) for evaluating changes in feet of patients with chronic gouty arthritis. Two independent radiologists read the plain radiography, DT, and CT images of 30 male patients with gout. The degrees of erosion and joint space narrowing were scored using the Sharp–van der Heijde scoring method in 18 foot joints, which consisted of four proximal interphalangeal and one interphalangeal joint of the first toe, five metatarsophalangeal, five tarsometatarsal, and three naviculo-cuneiform joints of the foot. DT showed high reproducibility [0.929 for intraobserver intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and 0.838 for interobserver ICC]. DT showed similar results to those of CT and superior results to those of plain radiography for evaluating radiographic damage [mean total score, 8.5 ± 14.6 (±standard deviation) for plain radiography, 12.9 ± 12.4 for DT, and 12.6 ± 11.2 for CT]. This study showed that DT is a good method for evaluating radiographic changes in patients with gout. Further research is needed to apply DT to actual clinical settings.

Aim To review the assessment and management of gout by general practitioners (GPs) and medical officers (MOs) within the Illawarra Network, Australia. Method A survey was sent to GPs and MOs within the Illawarra Network. Results Of 110 GPs, 45 responded. Of 129 MOs, 42 responded. The overall response was 32.6%. On analysis, 65.1% felt their knowledge of gout to be adequate and 61.6% thought they had been educated well. In acute assessment, 59.1% of GPs responded that the diagnosis of gout best be confirmed with a joint aspiration and 36.4% clinical suspicion. Differing, 85.7% of MOs chose a joint aspiration. In acute management, if colchicine were used, 59.1% of GPs would give 1 mg followed by 0.5 mg an hour later, then 0.5 mg twice daily, compared to 9.5% of MOs, while 20.5% of GPs would use 1 mg twice daily. Chronic management was answered poorly. After an acute attack, urate lowering therapy (ULT) would be started 14 days after by 47.7% of GPs, compared to 69.0% of MOs. GPs were more likely to start ULT within 7 days (52.3% vs. 31.0%). With dosing of ULT, 45.3% would treat to target, while 46.5% would dose to the creatinine clearance. Prophylactic therapy with ULT would be started by 81.8%, although only 17.4% would continue it for 3–6 months. Conclusion There is poor adherence to recommended practice for dosing of colchicine in acute gout. Also in the management of chronic gout, in particular, the timing of starting ULT and the use of prophylaxis when initiating ULT.

Although pharmacologic therapies for hyperuricemia in patients with gout have been well established and are reasonably effective, a small proportion of patients are refractory to treatment and/or present with articular disease so severe as to render standard treatments inadequate. Pegloticase, a PEGylated mammalian urate oxidase with a novel mechanism of action, was recently approved in the USA for the treatment of chronic gout in adult patients refractory to conventional therapy. This paper outlines the development of this unique agent and provides details of the Phase III clinical trial program. A discussion of patient selection, treatment considerations, and risk management for infused pegloticase follows. As a new class of biologic agent offering documented and dramatic effects on lowering serum uric acid and remarkably rapid outcomes in resolving tophi, pegloticase can provide safe and effective management of hyperuricemia and gout for many patients, particularly those who have a high disease burden ...

Purpose of review Gout is a true crystal deposition disease, extremely painful and bone and tissue damaging if untreated. It is the only curable form of arthritis. Although we have many treatments to cure gout, it is a disease that is consistently undertreated/mismanaged and perceived by clinicians and the lay public as a 'laughable condition' with the patients' lifestyle often held erroneously to account. This article would give you a good understanding of modern and established pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments used in the management of acute and chronic gout and how to 'treat to target' to cure the disease. Recent findings Many of the drugs we use to manage patients with gouty arthritis have been in existence since the 1970s and 1980s. In the past few years, because of the improved physiological understanding of gout, new innovative treatments such as anti-IL inhibitors, a nonxanthine oxidase inhibitor and the uricase enzymes have been developed adding to our armamentarium of drugs. Summary With the introduction of new research, we have been able to explore how to also use established treatments more effectively, raising the profile of gout and its best management and introducing the principle of treating the patient to urate target.

The paper presents the results of a trial of the efficacy and safety of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug Amelotex® (meloxicam) used to prevent episodes of arthritis in patients with gout during initiation of allopurinol therapy. The study has demonstrated that one-month therapy with Amelotex® can minimize the risk of arthritis exacerbations when allopurinol is used. Amelotex® shows a good tolerability and causes the low rates of side effects