GOUT Flashcards
What is Gout?
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes sudden swelling and severe pain in the joints.
How does Gout come about?
Hyperuricaemia ( too much Uric acid that stays in the body. Hyperuricaemia causes uric acid to clump together in sharp crystals that settle in your joints = GOUT.
Can also build up in your kidneys and form kidney stones.
What is the name of the deposits that from the sharp crystals?
Deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals in joints & soft tissues
Caused by increased production or decreased excretion or both
➔ acute inflammation & eventually tissue damage
What is the Epidemiology of Gout?
Prevalence (UK 2012) of gout = 2.49%
Incidence (UK) of gout = 1.77/1000/yr.
More common in men (30-60years) and in older people (rare in those under 20 years)
– Ratio – 4.3 : 1 (M:F)
More likely if FHx - genetic link
How is Uric acid synthesized?
Uric acid is end product of purine (adenine &
guanine) metabolism
Hypoxanthine - Xanthine
( xanthine oxidase)
Xanthine - Uric acid
(xanthine oxidase)
How is Uric acid Excreted?
Completely filtered by glomerulus
90-100% reabsorbed in proximal tubule
(URAT-1 specific anion transporter)
50% actively secreted in distal tubule
40-45% post secretary reabsorption
~ 5-10% of original glomerular load is
excreted
How much of the urate is excreted in the Urine?
2/3 of urate excreted in urine
1/3 of urate excreted in gastrointestinal tract
What is the Aetiology of GOUT?
Gout is caused by:
Increased rate of synthesis of Purine Precursors of Uric acid (10%)
Decreased Elimination of Uric acid by the Kidneys (90%)
What are the Classifications of Gout?
Primary:
– Due to rare inborn errors of metabolism or renal
excretion (not covered here)
Secondary:
– Occur due to drugs or consequence of other
disorder
How does Over- Consumption contribute to GOUT?
Over consumption of foods high in purines:
– Offal (liver, kidney, heart, sweetbreads), game,
oily fish (anchovies, herring, mackerel, sardines,
sprats, trout), seafood, yeast or meat extracts
How does Over- Production contribute to GOUT?
Only about 10% of cases
Excessive cell turnover (E.g: neoplastic
disease, psoriasis, haemolytic anaemias)
Cell lysis caused by cancer chemotherapy &
radiotherapy
Excessive synthesis of uric acid due to rare
enzyme mutation defects.
How does Under excretion contribute to GOUT?
Occurs in remaining 90% of cases
Hyperuricaemia ➔ large urate loads filtered
through glomerulus ➔ Increased urate reabsorption to avoid dumping of insoluble urate into urinary tract
Also decrease tubular secretion
What drug classes contribute to GOUT?
Renal failure
Alcohol (beer, red wine)
Drugs:
– Diuretics - Especially thiazides, furosemide
– aspirin, ciclosporin,, omeprazole, ethambutol,
pyrazinamide, niacin, didanosine, levodopa,
cytotoxics
What physical stress activities and other independent risk factors contribute to GOUT?
Physical Stress
– Tight shoes, hill walking, hiking, history of joint
trauma
Other independent risk factors: hypertension,
obesity hypertriglyceridemia
What is the pathophysiology of GOUT?
Hyperuricaemia is the most important risk factor
for gout
Uric acid levels:
– Formation and deposition of monosodium urate crystals is more likely to occur when levels are persistently > 380 micromol/mL (solubility limit)
HIGHER plasma urate level ➔ Increased incidence of gout
PROLONGED DURATION of increased urate levels ➔
increase likelihood of developing gout.
What acid is Uric acid and what happens to it at physiological PH?
Uric acid = weak acid (pKa 5.8)
At physiological pH ➔ ionised ➔ monosodium
urate (MSU)
If supersaturation occurs ➔ crystal formation
Solubility is influenced by:
– Temperature, pH, cation concentration, articular
dehydration and presence of nucleating agents (nonaggregate proteoglycans, insoluble collagens and chondroitin)
What happens to Crystal deposits for them to cause symptoms?
Crystal deposition may continue for many
months or years without causing symptoms
Only cause symptoms when shed into bursa (small sacs of synovial fluid surrounding
joint) ➔ inflammatory reaction
Shedding can be triggered by e.g: – Trauma, dehydration, rapid weight loss, illness &
surgery
Urate crystals are directly able to initiate, amplify
and sustain inflammatory responses, through?
Humoral and cellular inflammatory mediators
Complement system
Overall this causes:
a proinflammatory cascade of cytokines, chemotactic factors, TNF
Inflammatory cell accumulation (monocytes and mast cells in
the early phase and neutrophils in the later phase)
IL-1beta has been shown to be critically related to
the inflammatory response in gout
What are the 5 stages of the clinical presentations of GOUT?
– Asymptomatic hyperuricaemia (long period before gout manifests)
– Acute gouty arthritis
– Interval gout/Intercritical gout
– Chronic tophaceous gout
– Gouty nephropathy