New guidelines* for the management of gout – a condition affecting almost 4% of adults or about 8.3 million people in the United States[1] – have been published in the October 2012 issue of Arthritis Care & Research [2,3]. Developed by a task force of physicians and researchers, the guidelines are based on extensive review of the available literature and expert opinion in the field. The guidelines cover treatment of acute attacks of gout; agents used to lower uric acid and thereby prevent attacks; and medications that can (and should) be given along with uric-acid-lowering medications to prevent increased attacks that can occur when patients begin this type of therapy. Some conclusions of the guidelines follow.
*Note: This article reviews the gout guidelines as published in 2012. For an updated discussion of the management of gout, see Gout: Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Treatment.
Updated: 4/18/2017
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