Clinical manifestations of gout and their management

Abstract

Gout is an inflammatory response to deposition of monosodium urate crystals in and around joints. It is primarily a disease of adult men. In acute gout, treatment options include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), colchicine and corticosteroids, administered either intra-articularly, orally or parenterally. Asymptomatic hyperuricaemia does not require specific treatment, but should prompt screening for atherosclerosis risk factors, and general lifestyle modification to reduce serum urate levels. Gout presents differently in the elderly. Both women and men are affected, attacks are frequently polyarticular and in the upper limbs, and the gout may be associated with diuretic use, ..