What's New at AHRQ: Evidence-Based Reports: Management of Gout.

Management of Gout - Executive Summary | AHRQ Effective Health Care Program

Executive Summary – Mar. 15, 2016

Management of Gout

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Table of Contents

• Background and Objectives
• Scope and Key Questions
• Analytic Frameworks
• Methods
• Results
• Findings
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• References
• Citation
• Tables

Background and Objectives

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis and is characterized by acute intermittent episodes of synovitis presenting with joint swelling and pain (referred to as acute gouty arthritis, or acute gout attacks, or acute gout flares). It has been described as a disease of the foot since antiquity.1Approximately 8 million patients in the United States have gout. Gout is caused when excess urate in the body crystalizes (as monosodium urate [MSU]) in joint fluid, cartilage, bones, tendons, bursas or other sites. These crystals can directly stimulate an acute inflammatory attack. In some patients, acute gout attacks become progressively more frequent, protracted, and severe and may eventually progress to a chronic inflammatory condition. Additionally, in some patients the deposits of urate crystals grow into larger collections, called tophi (singular tophus) when clinically apparent.

The aim of this report is to review the evidence for the treatment of patients with gout, focusing on the primary care setting.