GOUT - ONLINE MATERIAL Flashcards
Origins of uric acid
- purine base
- derived from breakdown of purine: adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine
- also from breakdown of nucleoside (Adenosine, guanosine, inosine)
- also from breakdown of purine nucleotide: ATP, ADP, AMP, GTP, GDP, GMP, IMP
Xanthine oxidase
- converts hypoxanthine and xanthine into uric acid
- useful therapeutic target
Serum urate concentraiton
- Males: 0.25 - 0.42 mM
- Females: 0.18 - 0.38mM
- solubilityof urate and crystalization are at 0.4mM
Uric acid levels depend on rates of
- purine nucleotide syntehsis
- purine breakdown
- purine intake
- uric acid excrtetion
Dietary origins of uric acid
Foods high in purines: seafood, meats, alcoholic beverage (esp beer)
Foods low in purine: Fruits, vegetable, grains, dairy, eggs
Uric acid production: de Novo pathway
- purines are synthesized on a ribose phosphate backbone
- becomes PRPP -> promotes high uric acid levels
- PRPP has a positive feed-forward effect
Salvage pathway
- divert purine base drom uric acid sunthesis and replenish nucleotide pool
- uses two enzymes: APRT and HGPRT
Role of salvage pathway enzymes
- minimize uric acid production
- recover purine base for use as purine nucleotide
- especially in brain: salvage pathway enzyme
- nucleotide required for neurotransmitter synthesis
Dedificiency in HGPRT: Less Nyhan syndrome
- X linked
- gout due to hyperuricemia
- elevated PRPP exacerbated gout and promotes de novo pathway
- serious CNS effects: mental retardation, growth retardation, choreathetosis, spasticity, self mutilation
Uric acid lowering therapy clinical contect
- prevent acute attachs
- eliminate tophi
- suppress plasma urate level in context of tumor lysis syndrome
- reverse hyperuricemia in ischemic heart disease and metabolic syndrome
Strategies to lower serum uric acid level
- block uric acid synthesis
- promote urinary excretion
- convert to allantoin
Xanthine oxidase inhibitors lower uric acid synthesis: Allopurinol
- allopurinol is a hypoxanthine analog
- allopurinol is converted to alloxanthine by xanthine oxidase
- alloxanthine remains bound to active site
- xanthine oxidase undergoes suicide inhibition
Xanthine oxidase enzyme progile
- 1330 residues protein
- active enzyme are homodimers
- hepatocyte cytoplasm
- reaction centres: FeS, Mo, FAD
- Mo cycles between +6 and +4 oxidation stated
- alloxanthine holds Mo in +4 state -> interferes with function
Febuxostat
- a new xanthine oxidase inhibitor
- non-purine inhibitor
- binds to both reduced and oxidized forms
Uricosirics
- promote renal excretion of uric acid and block reabsorption
- serum uric acid concentration falls
- urinary uric acid concentration rises
- increased risk of renal deposition and renal calculo
Eg: probenecid, benzbromarone (effective in context of renal failure -> inhibits postsecretory tubular reabsorption)
Uricase
- humans lack uricase
- converts uric acid to allantoin
- uricase is highly effective in mobilizing uric acid from tophi
- uricase also effective in controlling uric acid levels in tumour lysis syndrome
Hypothesis for beneficial effects of uric acid
- may be an important biological anti-oxidant
- may promote salt retention under low salt condition
Tumor lysis syndrome
- acute elevation of plasma uric acid level
- cancer chemotherapy: increase cell death -> excess release of purine and uric acid production
Crystal formation
- in joints, bone, skin: monosodium urate monohydrate
- in urine: uric acid crystals (because acidic environment)
URate crystal formation
- occurs in only a minority of hyperuricemic people
- is the critical step in the development of gout
- is slow
- is influenced by temperature, nucleating factors and growth inhibitors
Interaction between urate crystals and inflammatory system
- low grade inflammation between attacks
- rapid escalation during flares
- spontaneous resolution without treatment
- involves many components of the immune system
Early clinical features of gout
- monoarticular attacks
- rapid onset, maximal within 24 hours, severe pain
- Pdagra or mid foot joint invovlement
- redness and swelling around joint, heat
- complete resolution within 7-14 days
Late clinical features of gout
- tophi
- oligoarticular attacks
- involvement of knees, wrist, fingers, elbows, olecranon bursa
- more prolonged episode with incomplete resolution
Diagnosis of gout
- confirmation is by crystal identification
- joint aspiration and synovial fluid analysis are the best way to distinguish other forms of arthritis
CRYSTAL ARTHRITIS AND SEPSIS CAN CO-EXIST
Monosodium urate monohydrate crystals
- needle-shapred and stronly negatively bireffringent under polarised microscope
Urate Crystal identification
- almost always visible n acute gout
- can be found in asymptomatic joint in gouty patients
- rarely found in hyperuricemic non-gouty patients
Beware the unexpected synovial fluid microscopy result
- betamethasone crystals mimick monosodium urate crystals
- both are strongly negatively birefringent
- most labs will report as urate
Serum urate and diagnosis of gout
- not very useful for diagnosis
- up to 40% of patients presenting with acute gout have serum urate lower than the limit
- only 20% of subjects with >0.42mmol/L will develop gout
Xrai
- insensitive for gout
- even when erosions are present, commonly mistaken for RA and vice versa
- soft tissue swelling and cloud like calcificastion
Ultrasound
- effusion, erosion, synovitis
- double contour sign
- hyperechoic line over anechoic cartilage
- layer of urate crystals on surface of cartilage
- sensitivity 44%, specificity 99%
Dual energy CT
- high accuracy for tophaceous and well established gout
- high sensitivity and specificity
- uncertain accuracy in early gout
Management of acute gout
- the earlier the theraphy, the better
- choice of therapy depends on patients comorbidities
NSAIDS
- all work; choose one that the patient has tolerated previously
- normal full dose
- most common therapy for acute gout
When to avoid NSAIDS in patients with gout
- renal impairment
- cardiac or liver failure
- bleeding risk
- peptic ulceration
- poorly controlled hypertension
Colchicine for acute episode
- conventional dosing has very high rates of GI toxisity
- lower dose regime has much reduced toxicity but poor efficacy
Prophylaxis and colchicine
- 0.5mg twice daily
Colchicine toxicity
- Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting
- acute myopathy, multisystem failure
- beware of renal failre and inhibitors of cyt P450 3A4
Management of acure gout with intra-articular costicosteroids
- Betamethasone (Celestone)
- Methylprednisolone (DepoMedrol)
- Triamcinolone (Kenacort)
- can be injected after synovial fluid aspirated through same needle
- usually requires some other therapy to prevent re-flare in following days
Gout and corticosteroids
- avoid in diabetics
- regime can be modified depending on rapidity of response
- if response poor, make sure there is no coexistent sepsis
- prednisone
Gout and tetracosactrin (ACTH)
- use depot preparation
- requires intact adrenal function
- similar contraindications to prednisone: Diabetes
- useful in circumstances where follw up is doubtful
Biological therapy of gout
- agents which inhibit IL1 suppress gouty inflammation
- Canakinumab: effective but extremely expensive
ULT in gout
- diagnosis should be certain or almost certail
- never urgent
- lifelong commitment
Indications for ULT
- tophi
- chronic joint or tendon damage due to gout
- multiple joint involvement
- chronic kidney disease stage II or worse
- history of renal calculi
- patient choice based on frequency, severity and duration of attacks
What questions to ask before adding urate lowering therapy in patients with gout?
- can any culprit drugs be stopped
- is there another indication for one of these uricosuric: Fenofibrate and Losartan
Dietary interventions
- correction of obesity and avoidance of excess alcohol and sweetened drinks
- dietary intervention has not been shown to be effective
Long term management of gout
- lack of compliance is the commonest cause of treatment failure
- compliance with therapy for gout is poorer than for other chronic disorders
- clear simple strategy is more successful
Introduction of ULT
- the faster the fall in serum concentration, the greater the risk of flare
- prophylaxis against flares is warranted
Urate lowering drug therapy classes
- Xanthine oxidase inhibitors: Allopurinol, febuxostat
- Uricosuric drugs: probenecid, benzbromarone, losartan, fenofibrate
- Uricase: Rasburicase, pegloticase
Allopurinol
- xanthine oxidase inhibitor
- renal excretion
- reduce urate production
- in patients with normal renal function, start at 100mg/day and increase slowly
- a minority of patients will achieve target with 300mg/day
- woth normal renal funciton, increasing the dose to 600mg daily will further decrease serum urate
Severe allopurinol hypersensitivity
- 1/1000
- increased risk with renal insufficiency, increased age, thiazide use, iniital higher dose
- starts
Allopurino use in reanl insufficiency
- start at low dose
- warn and monitor for hypersensitivity in frist 6-12 weeks
- progressively increase dose until maximal effect reached
- predetermined dose based on creatinine clearance result in underdosing
Probenecid
- if allopurinol doesnt work
- inhibits URAT1
- increases renal urate clearance
- good hydration, urinary alkalinisation
- required GFR > 30-40ml.min
- useful addition to allopurinol
- first option for allopurinol allergic/ intolerant patients
Febuxostat
- for patietns that dont have normal renal function
- Xanthine oxidase inhinbitor
- rapidly orally absorbed
- hepatic metabolism
- no dose modification in moderate renal impairment
- good option for allopurinol allergic/intolerant patient
Benzbromarone
- inhibits URAT1
- increases renal urate clerance
- good hydration/urinary alkalinisation
- requires GFR > 20 ml/min
- very close monitoring of LFT
- potent uricosuric, can be added to allopurinol
Allopurinol desensitization
- dont attempt after severe reaction
- oral dosing, increasing daily from minute amount
- now has very little role
Rasburicase
- used to treat/prevent uric acid nephropathy in the setting of chemotherapy for sensitive bulky tumours
- acts on both soluble urate and monosodium urate crystals, hence can produce rapid reduction in tophi
- very short duration of action, allergy with repeated infusion and extreme expenses
Pegloticase
- uricase + polyethylene glycol
- 8 mg ever 2 weeks
- effective at maintaining serum urate below target
- gout flares, infusion reaction, antipegloticase antibodies are all common
- expensive