Fact-sheet: Gout
Updated on 09/17/2021 at 12:16 PM
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Definition
Rheumatic condition characterized by intra- and extra-articular deposits of urate crystals.
It preferentially affects men whose diet is rich in purine-containing foods (game, cured meats, veal sweetbreads, anchovies, sardines, herring, kidneys, liver, brain, dried meat, shellfish & crustaceans, highly fermented cheeses).
Chocolate, mushrooms, and alcohol also promote the occurrence of attacks. Secondary forms: type 1 Glycogenosis, cyclosporine, diuretics
Clinical features
Classic acute inflammatory gout attack of the great toe.
Subacute episodes associated with oligo- or polyarticular involvement.
Clinical forms: pseudophlegmonous, extensor tendinitis of the foot, heel pain, or Achilles tendinitis
Laboratory findings
Hyperuricemia.
Hyperuraturia.
Presence of uric acid crystals in the joint fluid
Radiography
Initially, normal radiographs (rule out chondrocalcinosis). Tophi = urate deposits, dense in the soft tissues, which may calcify. Bone or cartilage erosions that may have a pseudotumoral "expansive" appearance, and significant juxta-articular geodes, sometimes adjacent to tophi. Late joint space narrowing