Younger age of onset of gout in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features of gout in the community and in medical centres, and to describe the recent changes in gout in Chinese patients. METHODS: We analysed retrospectively the clinical features of 1079 Chinese gout patients seen by a rheumatologist between 1993 and 2000. These included 558 patients from a private clinic and 521 patients from a medical centre. The data were compared with those in previous reports of large Caucasian and non-Caucasian series. RESULTS: The mean age of onset was 41.6 yr and the mean disease duration before first visit was 4.2 yr. For medical centre patients, the mean age of onset was 43.0 yr and mean disease duration before the first visit was 4.8 yr. For private clinic patients, the mean age of onset was 40.2 yr and mean disease duration before the first visit was 3.6 yr. Young patients with gout, with onset before age 30, constituted 23.3 and 26.7% of the medical centre and private clinic patients respectively. Female patients constituted 10.6 and 5.6% respectively, the family history was positive in 27.1 and 28.7%, and urolithiasis occurred in 11.5 and 10.9%. Tophi were found in 21.1% of medical centre and 12.7% of private clinic patients. The mean time from first gouty attack to visible tophi was 6.6 yr in those who developed tophi. CONCLUSIONS: The age at onset of gout was much earlier than in previous reports. Twenty-five per cent of patients had their first gouty attack before age 30. The first attack frequently occurred between the third and fifth decades (68.2%) rather than between the fourth and sixth decades, as reported in previous papers. The incidence of gout in females had increased (8.0% of the patients were female) and the incidence of tophi was high (16.8%). Besides, our patients had more frequent gouty attacks and the interval from the first attack to visible tophi was shorter than in previous reports of the disease in Caucasians.     

痛风的影像学研究进展

影像学检查可以帮助临床医师评价痛风.X线成像只能显示慢性痛风进展期的典型变化.CT可能是评价痛风骨改变和痛风石的最好方法,双源CT可以评估全身周围关节的尿酸盐总沉积量.MRI适合评估软组织、滑膜厚度和炎性反应,对痛风的早期病变敏感性很高,也能够较好的显示痛风石.超声检查可以评价软骨、软组织、尿酸盐沉积和滑膜炎性反应.核医学有助于在细胞和分子层面理解痛风性关节炎的发病机制.     

痛风的影像学研究进展

影像学检查可以帮助临床医师评价痛风.X线成像只能显示慢性痛风进展期的典型变化.CT可能是评价痛风骨改变和痛风石的最好方法,双源CT可以评估全身周围关节的尿酸盐总沉积量.MRI适合评估软组织、滑膜厚度和炎性反应,对痛风的早期病变敏感性很高,也能够较好的显示痛风石.超声检查可以评价软骨、软组织、尿酸盐沉积和滑膜炎性反应.核医学有助于在细胞和分子层面理解痛风性关节炎的发病机制.

Abstract：

Imaging is a helpful tool for clinicians to evaluate gout. Plain radiographs show typical changes only in advanced chronic gout. Computed tomography may best evaluate bone changes and tophi. Dual energy CT can measure the total urate burden in general periphery joints. Magnetic resonance imaging is suitable to evaluate soft tissues,synovial membrane thickness,and inflammatory changes,which is also sensitive to early change of gout,and even well show the tophi. Ultrasonography may be used in evaluation of cartilage, soft tissues, urate crystal deposition, and synovial membrane inflammation. Nuclear medicine may be helpful to investigate the pathogenesis of gouty arthritis in the field of cell and molecule.     

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.     

《2010年中国痛风临床诊治指南》解读

《2010年中国痛风临床诊治指南》指出,在诊断痛风时要特别注意痛风患者的病程阶段:即无症状高尿酸血症、急性痛风性关节炎或慢性痛风,强调关注患者是否为无症状高尿酸血症或痛风合并其它情况(糖尿病、高血压病,或心脑血管的危险因素)。除了合理应用非甾类抗炎药或糖皮质激素积极治疗急性关节炎急性发作外,痛风患者的综合管理尤为重要,包括对所有患者去除引起高尿酸血症的诱因及给予非药物干预(生活方式和饮食调整、减轻体重、适度饮酒,停用引起尿酸升高的药物等),有效控制合并症。对反复发作的、间歇期或慢性痛风患者给予降尿酸药物治疗以维持血尿酸水平低于327μmol/L,以及为严重的慢性痛风石患者寻找可能的手术治疗机会。     

Some unusual features of gouty arthritis in females

Gouty arthritis in females is relatively infrequent, although the sex ratio may be somewhat altered in different races. A positive family history is relatively prevalent among females whose onset of gout is premenopausal. In those patients with a postmenopausal onset, the incidence of diuretic-associated gout is high. The bimodal distribution of serum urate might be related to some variance of genetic transmission in female gout.Hypertension and coronary heart disease are common coexisting conditions, as is true of gouty arthritis in males. Chronic urinary tract infection dating from previous pregnancies is a frequent complication. The relative prevalence of proteinuria and diminished renal function leads to increased hyperuricemia, with a tendency to a low urinary uric acid output. This explains in part the higher incidence of extensive tophaceous deposition but lower incidence of renal calculi. Diuretics are associated with a higher urine pH, likewise, they reduce the urinary uric acid excretion. This also may contribute to the lower incidence of renal calculi.There may be some statistical support for the low fertility rate among the gouty females. Only two females became pregnant after the onset of gouty arthritis. All other pregnancies occurred before the onset of arthritis. Even then, abnormal pregnancies were relatively frequent. Some hormonal malfunction among the gouty females cannot be discounted.Both renal calculi and tophi are frequent in female gout associated with blood dyscrasias. They may manifest early, preceding the first attack of acute gouty arthritis. In both the male and female secondary gout, the primary underlying disease governs the uric acid metabolism and the clinical symptomatology of gout. The predominant role in pathogenesis is the excessive rate of uric acid production, and its disposal is governed by the different stages of the underlying disease and the treatment. Thus, secondary gout in females appears to be somewhat different from primary gout in females, but not different from secondary gout in males.     

Excellent response to the clinical treatment of tophaceous gout

Gout continues to be a health problem around the world, and the treatment may turn into a real challenge when the patient presents a certain degree of chronic renal failure (CRF). We discuss a case of tophaceous gout in a 68-year-old male patient without urolithiasis and with uric acid (UA) underexcretion and CRF (creatinine clearance of 42 ml/min). Uricosuric treatment with benzbromarone and urinary alkalinization was administered, and acute gouty attacks improved substantially. Subsequently, allopurinol was added to the treatment to accelerate tophi reduction in the hands, feet, elbows and knees. After 30 months of treatment, serum UA declined from 10 to 3.2 mg/dl. Urinary UA excretion of 0.44 g/24 h in the baseline rose to 0.85 g/24 h, returning to the baseline value after 30 months. UA clearance tripled, rising from 3.05 ml/min before treatment to 9.48 ml/min, and remained at this level. It is worth stressing that even in cases of severe tophaceous gout, the response to clinical treatment may be satisfactory with substantial reduction of tophi and full acute gouty attack remission even in patients presenting a certain degree of CRF.     

The Gouty Joseph in Giulio Romano's 'Holy Family'

Joint diseases in antiquity and the Renaissance were generally known by the all-encompassing term, gout (podagra or gotta). Only in later centuries was there a differentiation in the types of joint diseases, distinguishing gout in the modern sense from other arthritic and rheumatic disorders. The present article illustrates one pictorial representation of joint disease from the early sixteenth century, a case that seems typical of gouty tophi.     

Computed tomography of the knee joint as an indicator of intraarticular tophi in gout

Objective. To evaluate the utility of computed tomography (CT) of the knee joint for detecting intraarticular tophaceous deposits. Methods. A prospective study of 16 patients with gout affecting the knee was conducted. A condition for inclusion in the study was the presence of needle-shaped crystals with negative birefringence in the knee joint synovial fluid. Conventional radiography and CT were performed in each case. Results. Intraarticular opacities in the capsule and the synovium, consistent with the presence of tophaceous deposits, were found in 5 of the 16 patients (9 knee joints). The mean duration of gout was longer in the patients with intraarticular tophi than in those without tophi, and 2 of the patients with tophi had poor tolerance to antihyperuricemic therapy. Conclusion. Intraarticular opacities considered to represent tophi were observed in approximately one-third of the patients. The presence of tophi correlated with a longer duration of the disease and a poor tolerance to medication. We therefore suggest that CT of the knees could be useful in the assessment and followup of certain patients with gout.     

Tophaceous hip gouty arthritis revealing asymptomatic axial gout

Background

Hip and axial involvement is uncommon during gout and may raise diagnostic challenges. We describe a rare case of tophaceous hip gout which lead to the diagnosis of asymptomatic axial tophaceous gout at a single rheumatology center.

Spontaneous rupture of the Achilles tendon in a patient with gout.

A 49-year-old man with long-standing gout suffered a spontaneous rupture of the Achilles tendon. Surgical repair was performed, and gouty tophi were found in the severed end of the tendon. The possible causes of this spontaneous rupture are discussed.     

Urate-mediated inflammation in nodal osteoarthritis: clinical and roentgenographic correlations

We studied 25 patients with crystal-proven gout or roentgenographic evidence of gouty arthritis, or both, in finger joints involved with nodal osteoarthritis (OA). These patients were elderly (mean age 71.4 years), and 72% of them were receiving diuretic therapy. Roentgenographic findings, in addition to features typical of OA, included soft tissue densities (tophi), with or without calcification, large intraarticular erosions, characteristic nonmarginal cortical erosions, and periarticular osteolysis. We conclude that urate crystals mediate episodes of acute inflammation in certain patients with nodal OA. This association is noted primarily in elderly patients of both sexes, especially in those receiving diuretic therapy.     

Gout in the heart transplant recipient: physiologic puzzle and therapeutic challenge

PURPOSE: Hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis have been associated with cyclosporine use in renal transplant recipients. Patients requiring heart or heart-lung transplantation may have additional risk factors for the development of gout, yet it has not previously been described in this population. We share herein our clinical experience with gouty arthritis in six heart transplant recipients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a one-year period, six hospitalized male heart transplant patients were seen in consultation for gouty arthritis. Five were subsequently followed for gout as outpatients; the sixth died within six months. Management included trials of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), colchicine, allopurinol, and intra-articular steroid injections, as well as attempts to minimize cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. RESULTS: Three patients had gout in remission at time of transplant surgery, and three others developed gout for the first time two to 45 months after transplantation. Following transplant surgery, both pre-existing and new-onset gout appeared to exhibit an accelerated course, with unusually rapid development of chronic polyarticular disease and tophi in four of the five patients followed for more than six months. Peak serum uric acid levels ranged from 11.0 mg/dL to 16.5 mg/dL. NSAIDs produced reversible renal insufficiency in four patients. Gout-related infections occurred in three patients, one of whom died. CONCLUSION: Acute gouty arthritis may occur in the heart transplant recipient despite concomitant use of immunosuppressive drugs. Cyclosporine, with its attendant hypertension and nephrotoxicity, appears to be the major risk factor for hyperuricemia in this setting, leading to the accelerated development of tophi and chronic polyarthritis. Management is complicated by the patients' renal insufficiency and propensity to infection, as well as by interaction with transplant-related medications. Prevention of hyperuricemia by minimizing cyclosporine nephrotoxicity appears to be the best management strategy, with judicious use of allopurinol for those patients in whom this preventive approach fails.     

Tophi as the initial manifestation of gout. Report of six cases and review of the literature.

The development of tophi in the absence of prior episodes of gouty arthritis is unusual. We present six such cases and review 26 previously published cases. These patients differ from those with typical gout in that they were older, more likely to be women, and usually had predominant or exclusive finger involvement. Most had renal insufficiency and many were receiving an anti-inflammatory or diuretic. Although several possibilities for the lack of gouty arthritis in the presence of tophi exist, usually no clear explanation is found.     

Limited knee joint range of motion due to invisible gouty tophi

OBJECTIVES: Tophi deposits are a well-known cause of joint destruction, gouty nephropathy and spinal cord compression. This study reports another major complication of gout, namely tophi deposition causing limited knee joint excursion. METHODS: Seven gout patients with limited knee joint excursion owing to tophi deposition were studied to reveal clinical features and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. None of the patients were able to assume a full squatting posture. RESULTS: No patients had visible subcutaneous tophi over the knee joints, except for one case in which a pea-sized subcutaneous tophus was noted. Additionally, two patients even lacked visible tophi elsewhere. All knee problems in the study group were initially regarded as being due to degenerative or other internal derangements, but MRI unexpectedly revealed multiple tophaceous depositions within and around the joint. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-articular and periarticular tophi limiting knee joint range of motion are a rare but important cause of walking disability in gout patients. Although most patients do not display visible subcutaneous tophi over the knee on physical examination, the differential diagnosis should consider intra-articular tophi and MRI is valuable in this clinical setting.     

The application of dual-energy computed tomography in the diagnosis of acute gouty arthritis

The aim of the study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of dual-energy computed tomography in the diagnosis of acute gouty arthritis, and the related risk factors for urate crystal deposition. One hundred ninety-one patients (143 with acute gouty arthritis and 48 with other arthritic conditions) were studied. All patients had acute arthritic attack in the recent 15 days and underwent dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) scan with the affected joints. The urate volume was calculated by DECT and the basic information of these patients was recorded at the same time. Uric acid crystals were identified with DECT in 140 of 143 (97.9 %) gout patients and 6 of 48 (12.5 %) of nongout patients, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of DECT in the diagnosis of acute gouty arthritis were 97.9, 87.5, 95.9, and 93.3 %, respectively. The urate volumes were ranged from 0.57 to 54,543.27 mm³ with a mean volume of 1,787.81?±?7,181.54 mm³. Interestingly, urate volume was correlated with the disease duration, serum uric acid levels, the presence of tophi, and bone erosion. Two-year follow-up data was available in one patient with recurrent gouty arthritis, whose urate volume was gradually reduced in size by DECT detection after urate-lowering therapies. DECT showed high sensitivity and specificity for the identification of urate crystals and diagnosis of acute gout. The risk factors for uric acid deposition include the disease duration, serum uric acid levels, the presence of tophi, and bone erosion. DECT has an important role in the differential diagnosis of arthritis, and also could be served as a follow-up tool.     

Concomitant septic and gouty arthritis--an analysis of 30 cases

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the clinical features and outcomes of gouty patients with concomitant septic arthritis in a medical centre. METHODS: From the hospital database, we collected 30 hospitalized cases with concomitant septic arthritis and gouty arthritis from 1987 to 2001. All patients had positive bacterial culture and monosodium urate crystals in the affected joints. Medical records of the patients were analysed in detail. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 52.8+/-12.5 yr. One-third of patients were afebrile at presentation, 30% had a normal blood leucocyte count and 10% had a synovial fluid leucocyte count less than 6000/mm3. The knee joint was the most common site of involvement, followed by the ankle, shoulder and wrist joints. Most patients had long-standing disease and subcutaneous tophi. Subcutaneous tophi rupture with secondary wound infection is the most common route of infection. Causative micro-organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (16 cases, 7 of whom were oxacillin-resistant), Streptococcus sp. (5 cases), Pediococcus sp. (1 case), and Gram-negative bacilli (9 cases). Fourteen patients received surgical debridement, among them two patients had an arthrodesis owing to severe joint destruction and one received above-knee amputation. Two patients died. One died of septic complications and the other died of acute myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Septic arthritis coexistent with gout presented a diagnostic difficulty. An early diagnosis requires a high level of suspicion. Prompt aspiration and analysis of the synovial fluid is imperative, regardless of the absence of fever or leucocytosis. Culture of the aspirated synovial fluid is warranted in gouty attack, even when it has a low white cell count or the Gram stain reveals no organisms.     

Management of gout and hyperuricemia: Multidisciplinary consensus in Taiwan

Gout is an inflammatory disease manifested by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints, cartilage, synovial bursa, tendons or soft tissues. Gout is not a new disease, which was first documented nearly 5,000 years ago. The prevalence of gout has increased globally in recent years, imposing great disease burden worldwide. Moreover, gout or hyperuricemia is clearly associated with a variety of comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, urolithiasis, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, thyroid dysfunction, and psoriasis. To prevent acute arthritis attacks and complications, earlier use of pharmacotherapeutic treatment should be considered, and patients with hyperuricemia and previous episodes of acute gouty arthritis should receive long‐term urate‐lowering treatment. Urate‐lowering drugs should be used during the inter‐critical and chronic stages to prevent recurrent gout attacks, which may elicit gradual resolution of tophi. The goal of urate‐lowering therapy should aim to maintain serum uric acid (sUA) level <6.0 mg/dL. For patients with tophi, the initial goal can be set at lowering sUA to <5.0 mg/dL to promote tophi dissolution. The goal of this consensus paper was to improve gout and hyperuricemia management at a more comprehensive level. The content of this consensus paper was developed based on local epidemiology and current clinical practice, as well as consensuses from two multidisciplinary meetings and recommendations from Taiwan Guideline for the Management of Gout and Hyperuricemia.     

Ultrasonographic measurement of tophi as an outcome measure for chronic gout

OBJECTIVE: To validate the usefulness of measuring tophi with ultrasonography (US) as an outcome measure for chronic tophaceous gout. METHODS: Patients with crystal-proven gout were included. To evaluate validity, intraarticular and articular deep tophi were evaluated with both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and US. Tophi were punctured with US guidance to evaluate face validity. Interobserver and intraobserver measurement studies were done to evaluate reliability, and to estimate the smallest detectable difference. Sensitivity to change was evaluated with a 12-month followup observational study of urate-lowering therapy. RESULTS: US detected at least one tophus in all joints where MRI found nodules considered to be tophi. There was a good correlation, but just fair agreement between measurements with US and MRI. Puncture of nodules suspected of being tophi recovered urate crystals in 83% of the procedures. Intraobserver intraclass correlation was > 0.90 for diameters and volume, while it was 0.71 to 0.83 in the interobserver study. US was found to be sensitive to change, and there was an inverse correlation between serum urate concentrations and change from baseline measurement of tophi. CONCLUSION: US measurement of tophi fulfilled the OMERACT filter for an outcome measure, although it should be tested further in randomized clinical trials.     

A rare and asymptomatic case of mitral valve tophus associated with severe gouty tophaceous arthritis

Gouty arthritis is characterized by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in the joints and soft tissues. Clinical manifestations include acute and chronic arthritis and tophaceous deposits. Chronic tophaceous gout has become less common since the introduction of the pharmacological treatment. Moreover, cardiac valve gouty tophi have been very rarely reported.