Spinal cord compression due to tophaceous vertebral gout: a case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION: Acute gout arthritis and tophaceous gout of the spine is rare. EXEGESIS: We report the case of a 54-year-old man with chronic low back pain. Physical examination and myelography showing neurological compression on L4 laminectomy evidenced tophaceous gout. CONCLUSION: Gout arthritis should always be suspected and investigated in patients with either chronic low back pain or non-specific spinal cord compression.     

Chronic tophaceous gouty arthritis mimicking rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the factors which differentiate chronic tophaceous arthritis from rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: We describe two cases of chronic gouty arthritis masquerading as rheumatoid arthritis. The characteristic features of each of these two conditions and the diagnostic approach are discussed in light of relevant literature. RESULTS: The correct diagnosis was reached by the combination of accurate history taking (family history of gout, alcoholism, previous diuretic therapy and renal stones), guiding clinical features (subcutaneous tophaceous deposits) and specific radiological (assymetrical erosions with sclerotic margins and overlying edges) and laboratory findings (hyperuricemia and hyperuricosuria). It was confirmed by the identification of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the synovial and subcutaneous tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Gout and rheumatoid arthritis rarely coexist. Chronic gouty arthritis may mimic rheumatoid arthritis, and vice-versa. Clinical suspicion supplemented by characteristic laboratory, radiological and histologic findings help at reaching an accurate diagnosis.     

Tophaceous deposition in the finger pads without gouty arthritis

Tophi are rarely observed in patients without a prior history of gouty arthritis. We describe four patients whose initial manifestation of gout was tophaceous deposition in an unusual location, the finger pad. None of these patients had a history of acute gouty arthritis and none had tophi elsewhere. All four patients were postmenopausal women with decreased renal function; all were taking diuretics. We conclude that tophaceous gout without arthritis may be more common than previously recognized and that tophi may deposit in the finger pad. We recommend prompt aspiration and crystal analysis of white subcutaneous finger pad deposits in hyperuricemic patients even without a history of gouty arthritis.     

Tophaceous gout in the elderly: a clinical case review

Gout is the most common cause of arthritis in the elderly. Its incidence among older people has risen worldwide due to an increase in risk factors such as renal diseases, metabolic syndrome, and a diet rich in purines. In older age, tophaceous gout may affect different joints from its classical presentation, due to other concomitant musculoskeletal diseases, but specific data on its epidemiology and clinical aspects in the elderly are limited to a few case reports. The present review focuses on the distinctive aspects of tophaceous gout in the elderly, revisiting all our clinical cases seen from 1990 to December 2011. Our findings indicate that: tophaceous gout can affect several joints in the elderly, including some unusual sites; its incidence is similar in both genders in the elderly even if the latency period between its initial diagnosis and the onset of tophi is higher in men; and vertebral localizations are rising and often solitary. The components of metabolic syndrome are the most common medical conditions associated with tophaceous gout. In conclusion, tophaceous gout in the elderly may be a growing medical problem and cause of disability in years, partly because of the new sites involved.     

Coexistent rheumatoid arthritis and tophaceous gout: a case report.

Rheumatoid arthritis and gout are both common rheumatic diseases, but their coincidence is rare. We report the case of a 67-year-old Caucasian woman with rheumatoid arthritis who later developed tophaceous gout. The tophi disappeared with remarkable rapidity on treatment with allopurinol.     

Severe hip and knee pain in a man with chronic tophaceous gout

Gout is a common rheumatologic condition with characteristic clinical presentations during the acute arthritis and chronic tophaceous stages. Because of this, there is a tendency to overlook rare but important conditions which are independent of, but can co‐exist with gout. This case of severe hip and knee pain in a patient with tophaceous gout takes the reader on a problem‐solving exercise which simulates the analytical processes and decisions made in the clinic.     

Partial deficiency of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase in an adult patient.

Patients with hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase deficiency usually have a striking clinical syndrome during childhood and are readily diagnosed by the pediatrician. An adult patient had childhood manifestations of glucose-6-phosphatase deficiency that were mild and unrecognized; symptoms of tophaceous gout, urate nephropathy and characteristic blood chemical studies suggested the diagnosis at age 39. Subsequent epinephrine and galactose tolerance tests were characteristic of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase deficiency and direct assay of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase confirmed a partial deficiency of the enzyme. The case emphasized that patients with this deficiency may escape diagnosis during childhood and that internists should consider the diagnosis in adolescents or young adults with acute gouty arthritis or tophaceous gout.     

Treatment of chronic tophaceous gout with a free flap

A 62-year-old man who suffered from severe deforming arthritis, secondary to chronic tophaceous gout with multilobular, solid, tender, enlarged subcutaneous nodules, and draining tophi in right second finger, was treated by free flap and finally got the more functional and aesthetic result.     

Current principles of management in gout

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1. Present knowledge concerning the fundamental nature of the gouty trait, the causes of acute gouty arthritis and the pathogenesis of chronic tophaceous gout, is reviewed.     

Acute gouty arthritis during pyrazinamide treatment: a case report

Gout is a disease caused by an inflammatory response to an aggregation of monosodium urate crystals that develop secondary to hyperuricemia. Throughout its natural history it has four stages: asymptomatic hyperuricemia, acute gouty arthritis, intercritical gout, and chronic tophaceous gout. In this article, we report the case of a patient who had asymptomatic hyperuricemia secondary to pyrazinamide, which was prescribed for pulmonary tuberculosis, and had developed an acute gouty arthritis immediately after the “Feast of Sacrifice” due to a dietary excess of purine.     

Coexistent gout and rheumatoid arthritis

A 73-year-old woman with Felty's syndrome and arthritis mutilans of long duration presented with tophaceous gout. The 7 previously reported cases of coexistent gout and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are critically reviewed. Possible explanations for the rare coexistence of RA and gout are discussed: if uric acid is an inhibitor of the immune response, then hyperuricemia and gout could protect against development of RA. Conversely, crystalline protein binding may be a critical factor in the pathogenesis of gout, and the presence of abnormal proteins in RA could protect against gout.     

Acute gouty arthritis during pyrazinamide treatment: a case report

Abstract

Gout is a disease caused by an inflammatory response to an aggregation of monosodium urate crystals that develop secondary to hyperuricemia. Throughout its natural history it has four stages: asymptomatic hyperuricemia, acute gouty arthritis, intercritical gout, and chronic tophaceous gout. In this article, we report the case of a patient who had asymptomatic hyperuricemia secondary to pyrazinamide, which was prescribed for pulmonary tuberculosis, and had developed an acute gouty arthritis immediately after the “Feast of Sacrifice” due to a dietary excess of purine.     

Sickle cell disease associated with uric acid deposition disease.

The infrequent occurrence of gout in patients with sickle cell anaemia contrast with the high incidence of hyperuricaemia and impaired renal function. This report records the third case of synovial membrane uric acid deposition and the first case of tophaceous deposits in haemoglobin SS patients. The limitations of a diagnosis of gout on the basis of hyperuricaemia and arthritis are confirmed. Analysis of reported cases suggests the existence of 2 forms of arthritis associated with sickle cell anaemia--noninflammatory and inflammatory. Paradoxically, gout appears to be associated with the former, in which the pathophysiological changes probably prevent or diminish the acute inflammatory response.     

Updates in the management of gout

The majority of patients with gout are cared for by primary care physicians. Although both the physician and patient may easily recognize the acute arthritis of gout, errors in selecting the most appropriate medication and proper dose are common. The clinical stages of gout include asymptomatic hyperuricemia, intermittent gouty arthritis, and chronic tophaceous gout. Treatment of gout is usually considered after the first attack of arthritis, typically podagra. The aims of treatment are to alleviate the pain and inflammation associated with acute attacks, prevent future attacks, and decrease uric acid levels. Confusion frequently arises because certain medications such as colchicine may have dual purposes: to treat an acute attack and to suppress future attacks. The purpose of this management update is to provide practical advice about prescribing the proper medication considering both treatment goals and patient comorbidities.     

Diagnosis of gout by ultrasound

OBJECTIVES: To establish the usefulness of ultrasonography (US) for diagnosing gout and to determine whether there are sonographic features that are characteristic for gout but not for other arthropathies. METHODS: We retrospectively compared joint images of gout patients with matching images from patients with other rheumatic conditions. Images of 37 joints of 23 patients with monosodium urate (MSU) crystal-proven gout were reviewed. MSU crystals were identified in at least one joint in each patient. Our control group had 23 randomly selected patients with 33 examined joints with rheumatic conditions other than gout. RESULTS: Specific diagnostic features included a hyperechoic, irregular band over the superficial margin of the articular cartilage described as a double contour sign in 92% of gouty joints and in none of the controls (P < 0.001); hypoechoic to hyperechoic, inhomogeneous material surrounded by a small anechoic rim, representing tophaceous material, was seen in all gouty metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints, in all metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints and in none of the controls (P < 0.001); erosions adjacent to tophaceous material were seen in 65% of MTP joints and in 25% of MCP joints. One erosion was seen in a MTP joint in a control patient with psoriatic arthritis. CONCLUSIONS: US can detect deposition of MSU crystals on cartilaginous surfaces (P < 0.001) as well as tophaceous material and typical erosions. US may serve as a non-invasive means to diagnose gout.     

Intra-articular tophus presenting as a loose body

In chronic tophaceous gout, tophi may occur in various tissues of the body. The joints are one of the main tissues of the tophaceous deposits. The articular surface may be coated by heavy deposits. We present a case of a patient with chronic tophaceous gout where the tophaceous deposits formed an intra-articular mass causing symptoms of a loose body.     

Gout nodulosis: Widespread subcutaneous deposits without gout

Subcutaneous tophaceous deposits of monosodium urate, in the absence of arthritis, may occasionally occur as the initial manifestation of gout. In this report, we describe a 35-year-old man who presented with a 6-year history of multiple subcutaneous nodules and no history of previous articular complaints. Needle aspirations of the nodules proved them to be deposits of monosodium urate. A literature search revealed 28 other cases with a similar presentation. We propose the term “gout nodulosis” as a clinical entity at one end of the spectrum of gout to describe this group of patients.     

Asymptomatic hyperuricemia: the case for conservative management

The management of asymptomatic hyperuricemia is controversial. Reported benefits from treatment prevention of acute gouty arthritis, chronic tophaceous gout, urolithiasis, or gouty nephropathy. A review of experimental and clinical data suggests that the risks of asymptomatic hyperuricemia are small or unknown and the efficacy of long-term treatment in preventing gout or renal disease is unproved. The costs and risks of prolonged drug administration and practical considerations such as patient compliance mitigate against long-term therapy in asymptomatic persons. We offer some recommendations for an expectant approach to the management of asymptomatic hyperuricemia.     

Pulmonic regurgitation due to valvular tophi

Documented cardiac tophi are rare and have not previously been reported to cause clinically manifest valvular disease. A 31-year-old male with complex cyanotic congenital heart disease (Taussig-Bing anomaly) and secondary tophaceous gouty arthritis is described. Terminally, he presented with clinical evidence of a brain abscess and a new semilunar regurgitant murmur. Two-dimensional echocardiography suggested vegetative lesions as the cause of the murmur. The patient was treated for infective endocarditis. At autopsy, the cause of the semilunar regurgitant murmur was shown to be sterile tophi located along the line of pulmonary valvular coaptation. Tophaceous deposits were also present in the mitral valve.     

Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis: a rare cause of erosive arthropathy of the distal interphalangeal finger joints

BACKGROUND: Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) is a rare systemic disease, presenting with typical skin abnormalities and erosive polyarthritis, which is often associated with malignancy. CASE REPORT: A case of MRH arthropathy, in which the typical nodular skin manifestation of the disease was absent, is described in a patient with a past history of breast cancer and no evidence of recurrent or new malignancy. RESULTS: Careful clinical and roentgenological evaluation disclosed important clues to differentiate this condition from other more common distal interphalangeal arthritides--namely, osteoarthritis and its "erosive" variant, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, tophaceous gout, dialysis related hand arthropathy, and from the rarer fibroblastic rheumatism, all of which can be mimicked by MRH. Histopathology showed the characteristic histiocytic and multinucleated giant cell infiltrate with ground glass cytoplasm, and immunohistochemical analysis showed markers evocative of a monocyte/macrophage origin of MRH.