(Reuters Health)—Obese people who have weight loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass, are much less likely than those who don’t have surgery to develop gout, a painful type of arthritis, according to a Swedish study. People who chose to get weight loss surgery are also less than half as likely to develop hyperuricemia, too much…
Tocilizumab Designated as Breakthrough Therapy for GCA
To speed the development of tocilizumab to treat giant cell arteritis (GCA), the FDA designated it as a breakthrough therapy earlier this month…
Gout Treatment & Care Remain Suboptimal
A recent analysis compared the care of patients with RA with that received by patients with gout, finding that hospitalization and costs for patients with gout have increased, but both are decreasing for patients with RA. Unlike RA, significant advances in treatment have not been made for gout, despite its increasing prevalence, and patients may land in the hospital unnecessarily…
Treating Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia Could Lower Risk of Developing Chronic Conditions
When uric acid becomes elevated in the human body, a variety of problems can develop, most notably gout—a painful, inflammatory arthritis caused by uric acid crystal deposition in joints. Chronically elevated uric acid can also lead to painful kidney stones. The majority of patients found to have hyperuricemia, however, never go on to develop gout…
Apolipoprotein E Polymorphism Associated with Hyperuricemia in Chinese Population
Researchers find link between hyperuricemia and higher serum uric acid levels in patients with APOE ε2ε3 genotype and APOE-ε2 allele
Letter: Should We Monitor Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia?
Why have physicians stopped routine screening for hyperuricemia and is there any value to this screening?
Letter: There’s No Reason Now to Screen for Uric Acid
Screening was common in the 1970s and before, but new studies demonstrate that most hyperuricemia patients never developed gout or kidney stones, so enthusiasm for screening waned
ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: How to Manage Gout Effectively in the Context of Comorbid Conditions
Comorbid conditions such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease can complicate gout management, but effective treatment and preventive strategies are available