title: Metabolic diseases: gout.
abstract: Gout is a disease of antiquity but is increasing once again in prevalence despite availability of reasonably effective treatments. This may be related to a combination of factors, including diet, obesity, and diuretic use. Allergic reactions, noncompliance, drug interactions, and sometimes inefficacy all limit the effective use of current hypouricemic agents. There are new treatments for gout on the horizon, including febuxostat, a nonpurine inhibitor of xanthine oxidase with a potentially better combination of efficacy and side effects than allopurinol. Diagnostic progress is being made in that ultrasound may offer a noninvasive means of diagnosing tophaceous deposits in and around joints. The increasing prevalence of gout means that dermatologists will see more cutaneous manifestations of gout, including tophi, draining sinus tracts, panniculitis, and dystrophic calcifications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Cooper University Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Camden, NJ 08103, USA. falasca-gerald@cooperhealth.edu
authors.forename: Gerald F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Falasca
mesh_terms: D006073:Gout / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006074:Gout Suppressants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006074:Gout Suppressants; D014527:Uric Acid