01b: Urate Metabolism and Crystal-Induced Arthritis Flashcards
What is gout?
Intense inflammatory arthritis with destructive potential to joints caused by immuno-reactivity to precipitated uric acid crystals in individuals with hyperuricemia.
Cardinal signs/symptoms of acute gout
- Intense articular inflammtion (calor, dolor, rubor, tumor)
- “Touch-me-not” tenderness
- Rapid onset of sx
- Joint predilection: 1st metatarsophalangeal, midfoot, ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, distal interphalangeal
- Inter-critical resolution of sx
Cardinal signs/symptoms of chronic gout
Features/presentation extremely variable
- Attacks more frequent or continuous sx
- Tophi
- Articular damage, destruction, disability
- Nephropathy/nephrolithiasis
- Cardiovascular risk (?)
What is podagra?
Inflammation of first metatarsophalangeal joint (big toe).
What is olecranon bursitis?
Inflammation of the subcutaneous synovial-lined sac of the bursa overlying the olecranon process at the proximal aspect of the ulna; may be 2/2 gout.
What are tophi?
Deposit of monosodium urate crystals in people with longstanding high levels of uric acid in the blood; pathognomonic for gout.
Gout epidemiology
- Most common inflammatory arthritis
- US prevalence = 6.1 million
- Tophaceaous gout = ~75% of untx chronic gout pts w/ dz > 20yrs
- Increases w/ age
What are risk factors for incident gout?
- Hyperuricemia (necessary but not sufficient)
- Obesity
- HTN
- Rx: diuretics, cyclosporine (for dry eye dz), tacrolimus (post-xp immunosuppressant), low-dose aspirin
- Dietary: red meat, shellfish, certain types of fish, beer, liquor (not wine)
What level of hyperuricemia is associated with gout?
>9.0 mg/dL (nl 3.5 - 7.2 mg/dL)
Describe urate metabolism.
- Diet and cell breakdown produce purines
- Purines are converted via xanthine oxidase (2x) to uric acid
- In other animals, urate oxidase breaks down uric acid to allantoin (soluble and easy to excrete vs. uric acid, which is less soluble and crystalizes in solution when supersaturated)
Describe urate excretion.
- 80-90% via renal excretion
- 10% via gut
- If system overloaded –> urate supersaturation and crystallization –> gout
What are the two mechanisms behind urate supersaturation?
- Increased uric acid production
- 10% of gout patients
- >1000mg/day
- Decreased uric acid excretion
- 90% of gout patients
- <300mg/day
How do inborn errors of metabolism contribute to increased urate levels?
- Lead to gain of function in de novo synthesis: more IMP being produced (substrate in urate production)
- Cause loss of function in salvage pathway: Less urate substrates being rerouted
Describe nephronal handling of uric acid
- Uric acid is filtered by the glomerulus
- Through reabsorption and secretion, 7-12% of uric acid is ultimately excreted from the body
- **URAT1 **is the transporter responsible for reabsorption and secretion of uric acid
- Urate reabsorbed in exchange for:
- lactate
- nicotinate
- pyrazinamide
- Drugs exist which inhibit urate reabsorption
- Loss of function of URAT1 –> hypouricemia
- Urate reabsorbed in exchange for:
- **OAT **and **UAT **bring urate back into blood
Describe the genetics of hyperuricemia
- Mutations in:
- Hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT): role in the generation of purine nucleotides through the purine salvage pathway
-
Phosphirobosyl pyrophosphatase synthetase (PRPSI): involved in the synthesis of nucleotides
- Early onset gout
- Lesch-Nyhan syndrome: disorder passed down through families that affects how the body builds and breaks down purines
-
Idiopathic hyperuricemia:
- Polygenic
- Polymorphisms in URAT1 and other urate transport proteins