Gout Flashcards
What is gout and its cause?
- Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid (UA) crystals, primarily in the joints
How is UA produced?
- UA is produced as an end-product of purine metabolism
T/F: Purines are present in many foods, and they make up one of the base pairs of DNA
- True
When UA builds up in the blood, the patient can remain __ or the UA can __ in the joints, resulting in a __ gout attack
Fill in the blanks
- Asymptomatic
- Crystallize
- Painful
What are the characteristics of a gout attack?
- Sudden onset
- Typically in one joint
- Most often in metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP, the big toe)
What is used to identify UA crystals in the body?
- A sample of synovial (joint) fluid
- Evaluating UA level in the body
What are the risk factors for gout?
- Male sex
- Obesity
- Excessive alcohol consumption
List drugs that increase UA
- Aspirin, lower doses
- Calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus and cyclosporin)
- Diuretics (loops and thiazides)
- Niacin
- Pyrazinamide
- Select chemotherapy (with tumor lysis syndrome)
- Select pancratic enzyme products
T/F: Asymptomatic hyperuricemia is not treated with drugs
- True
The drugs used for acute attacks target __ and __.
Fill in the blanks
- Pain
- Inflammation
Why prophylactic drugs are used?
- Used to lower UA levels with a goal UA level of < 6 mg/dL
Which anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat acute pain?
- Colchicine
- Steroids (including intra-articular injections)
- NSAIDs (often with a high starting dose)
Once gout has struck, which medications are used to chronically treat to prevent future attacks?
Xanthine oxidase inhibitor (XOI):
* Allopurinol (preferred)
- Febuxostat
- An acute gout flare can occur when an XOI is started, so give initially with colchicine or an NSAID
If XOI didn’t work well and UA remains >6 mg/dL:
* Add on probenecid or lesinurad to daily XOI
- Replace the XOI with IV pegloticase (Krystexxa)
How do you initially treat acute gout attack?
- It should be treated with a single drug, either an NSAID, a systemic steroid or colchicine
- If severe, combination treatment should be initiated. Thiis included colchicine with either an NSAID or an oral steroid
What can be helpful if the gout attack is localized to one or two joints?
- An intra-articular steroid injection which is injected into joint/s