Medication for gout5/27/2023 ![]() ![]() Studies have found that those with gout are absent more often from work and take more sick leave than those who do not have gout. Second, gout causes significant pain, functional impairment and reduction in work participation. It is an important condition for a number of reasons.įirst, gout is increasing in prevalence as the world population becomes more overweight and obese. Gout has often been viewed as a nuisance and non-serious condition. Kidney and GIT excretion is influenced mainly by genetics, although factors such as concomitant medications also play a role. Accumulation of urate in the body occurs as a result of an imbalance in intake or intrinsic urate production and excretion through the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract (GIT). If inadequately treated, it is a condition that usually progresses rather than regresses. It can affect any joint in the body and can even mimic the polyarthritis of rheumatoid arthritis. Gout does not occur only in the great toe (podagra), although this is a common site for the initial episode. This review provides an update for practitioners on the management of gout. There have been a number of changes to the management of gout, including dosing strategies of older drugs and availability of newer therapeutics. 2,3 Evidence from Australia and the rest of the world shows that the management of gout is suboptimal, as demonstrated by infrequent serum urate testing, low levels of urate-lowering therapy prescription and, when prescribed, inadequate dosing, resulting in serum urate levels above target. A very high prevalence (>10%) of the disease is seen in specific groups, such as elderly men. 1 Australian research indicates that gout is a significant and increasing problem, with at least 1.5% of the general population affected. It is increasingly being recognised as a serious disease that causes functional disability, increased work absence, and negative economic consequences for the individual and community. Gout is not a new disease, but its management has certainly seen much change in the past five years. ![]()
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