Managing Gout Flares in the Elderly: Practical Considerations

Gouty tophus as a rare cause of a Hepple stage V osteochondral lesion of the talus

Background

Talus osteochondral lesion is commonly associated with trauma, avascular necrosis or even genetic factors, but gouty tophus as a cause of Hepple stage V type talus osteochondral lesion is rare.

Case presentation

Here, we report a case of an 18-year-old man who complained of left medial deep ankle pain on ambulation. This young man had an extreme liking of sea food rich in purines and also sugar-sweetened drinks. He was diagnosed with a Hepple stage V type talus osteochondral lesion and was treated with medial malleolus osteotomy and an osteochondral graft. The talus osteochondral lesion was found to be a gouty tophus and was completely removed. Hypouricemic therapy was prescribed for 2 months, which allowed the patient to walk with a visual analogue score (VAS) score of 1. He was followed up for 12 months.

Conclusions

Young people with an extreme liking of sea food rich in purines and also sugar-sweetened drinks may be at a risk of developing gout. Acute onset of ankle atraumatic pain, swelling with a high level of serum uric acid and a talus osteochondral lesion with cyst formation should make physicians consider a diagnosis of gout.

Gout Flare Burden, Diagnosis, and Management: Navigating Care in Older Patients with Comorbidity

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, and its incidence is highest in middle-aged and older patients. Adding to the diagnostic complexity, up to 50% of patients aged > 65 years present atypically, with subacute oligo- or polyarticular flares. Comorbidity and polypharmacy, common in older populations, affect real-world treatment decisions in gout management, and no specific guidelines are available to address these issues in these at-risk groups. Despite the growing public health burden posed by gout, suboptimal management has led to increased morbidity and substantial healthcare utilization and cost burden, as reflected by an increased incidence of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in recent years. Colchicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or glucocorticoids (oral, intraarticular, or intramuscular) should be considered as first-line agents for gout flare management. Urate-lowering therapy, with the goal of lowering and maintaining serum urate concentrations at < 6 mg/dL (< 360 μmol/L), is recommended to achieve optimal outcomes, including regression of tophi, reduction (or elimination) of flares, and reductions in total urate burden. In this review, we summarize the current burden posed by gout and discuss best practices in its diagnosis and management, focusing on best practices in the context of gout flare in older patients with comorbid conditions.

Therapeutic Strategies for the Treatment of Chronic Hyperuricemia: An Evidence-Based Update

This article aims to critically review the evidence on the available therapeutic strategies for the treatment of hyperuricemia. For this reason, several papers were reviewed. Xanthine oxidase inhibitors are the safest and most effective uric acid lowering drugs for the management of chronic hyperuricemia, while the efficacy of uricosuric agents is strongly modulated by pharmacogenetics. Emergent drugs (lesinurad, peglotidase) were found to be more effective for the acute management of refractory hyperuricemia, but their use is supported by a relatively small number of clinical trials so that further well-designed clinical research is needed to deepen their efficacy and safety profile.

The prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in Australia: An updated systematic review

BACKGROUND

Gout continues to increase in prevalence in developed countries with Oceanic countries particularly affected. Both gout and hyperuricaemia are associated with the metabolic syndrome and its sequelae. Recently, the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported a prevalence rate of 0.8% which appeared incongruous with other published research. Thus, an updated systematic review was undertaken to review the literature on the prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in Australia from data published after 2011.

METHODS

A comprehensive, systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science in addition to relevant websites to identify research reporting the prevalence of gout and/or hyperuricaemia in Australia from May 2011 until June 2020. Crude gout and hyperuricaemia prevalence data was obtained and presented alongside case ascertainment, time-period, age range and stratified by gender if available.

RESULTS

118 full text articles were screened. 12 articles were included for analysis of gout prevalence. 4 articles were identified for the hyperuricaemia analysis. Wide variation in prevalence figures exist largely due study design and sample age range. Studies using a case definition of self-reported diagnosis of gout reported prevalence rates between 4.5% and 6.8%. The remaining studies used either electronic coding data from general practitioners or wastewater estimation of allopurinol consumption and documented adult prevalence rates between 1.5% and 2.9%. Prevalence increases with age, male sex and over time in keeping with global data. Hyperuricaemia prevalence ranged between 10.5% and 16.6% in Caucasian or an Australian representative population. AIHW estimates applied a chronic condition status, defined as current and lasted or expected to last more than six months, to cases of gout in the Australian National Health Survey. This likely results in an under-estimation in reported Australian gout prevalence rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Gout is highly prevalent in Australia compared to global comparisons and continues to increase over time. Hyperuricaemia prevalence is also high although contemporary data is limited.

Joint Clinical Consensus Statement of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons® and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners®: Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Consensus for Gouty Arthritis of the Foot and Ankle

Gout is a condition that commonly affects the foot and ankle, and practitioners who treat these structures should be aware of the methods to diagnose and treat this form of arthritis. Practitioners also need to recognize extra-articular manifestations of the disease. Although the acutely red, hot, swollen joint is a common presentation, chronic tophaceous gout can be associated with pain, nodule formation, and cutaneous compromise. Since the underlying causes that lead to excessive monosodium urate deposition may be treatable, early and accurate diagnosis can be very beneficial and may even prevent articular degeneration.