Gout Dalbeth, Nicola, Prof; Merriman, Tony R, Prof; Stamp, Lisa K, Prof
The Lancet (British edition),
10/2016, Volume:
388, Issue:
10055
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Summary Gout is a chronic disease of deposition of monosodium urate crystals, which form in the presence of increased urate concentrations. Although environmental factors contribute to ...hyperuricaemia, renal and gut excretion of urate is central to regulation of serum urate, and genetic factors are important. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and release of interleukin 1β have key roles in initiation of acute gout flares. A “treat to target serum urate” approach is essential for effective gout management; long-term lowering of serum urate to less than 360 μmol/L leads to crystal dissolution and ultimately to suppression of flares. An allopurinol dose-escalation strategy is frequently effective for achieving treatment targets, and several new urate-lowering drugs are also available. Worldwide, rates of initiation and continuation of urate-lowering therapy are very low, and, consequently, achievement of serum urate targets is infrequent. Strategies to improve quality of gout care are needed.
Abstract Purpose The aims of this article were to systematically review the literature about the mechanism of action of colchicine in the multimodal pathology of acute inflammation associated with ...gout and to consider the clinical utility of colchicine in other chronic inflammatory diseases. Methods The English-language literature on PubMed was searched for articles published between 1990 and October 2013, with a cross-reference to citations across all years. Relevant articles pertaining to the mechanism of action of colchicine and the clinical applications of colchicine in gout and other inflammatory conditions were identified and reviewed. Findings The molecular pathology of acute inflammation associated with gouty arthritis involves several concurrent pathways triggered by a variety of interactions between monosodium urate crystals and the surface of cells. Colchicine modulates multiple pro- and antiinflammatory pathways associated with gouty arthritis. Colchicine prevents microtubule assembly and thereby disrupts inflammasome activation, microtubule-based inflammatory cell chemotaxis, generation of leukotrienes and cytokines, and phagocytosis. Many of these cellular processes can be found in other diseases involving chronic inflammation. The multimodal mechanism of action of colchicine suggests potential efficacy of colchicine in other comorbid conditions associated with gout, such as osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease. Implications Colchicine has multiple mechanisms of action that affect inflammatory processes and result in its utility for treating and preventing acute gout flare. Other chronic inflammatory diseases that invoke these molecular pathways may represent new therapeutic applications for colchicine.
This randomized trial assessed whether urate-lowering treatment with allopurinol could attenuate eGFR decline in at-risk patients with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease. Allopurinol did not slow ...the decline in eGFR as compared with placebo.
AbstractObjectiveTo systematically test dietary components for association with serum urate levels and to evaluate the relative contributions of estimates of diet pattern and inherited genetic ...variants to population variance in serum urate levels.DesignMeta-analysis of cross sectional data from the United States.Data sourcesFive cohort studies.Review methods16 760 individuals of European ancestry (8414 men and 8346 women) from the US were included in analyses. Eligible individuals were aged over 18, without kidney disease or gout, and not taking urate lowering or diuretic drugs. All participants had serum urate measurements, dietary survey data, information on potential confounders (sex, age, body mass index, average daily calorie intake, years of education, exercise levels, smoking status, and menopausal status), and genome wide genotypes. The main outcome measures were average serum urate levels and variance in serum urate levels. β values (95% confidence intervals) and Bonferroni corrected P values from multivariable linear regression analyses, along with regression partial R2 values, were used to quantitate associations.ResultsSeven foods were associated with raised serum urate levels (beer, liquor, wine, potato, poultry, soft drinks, and meat (beef, pork, or lamb)) and eight foods were associated with reduced serum urate levels (eggs, peanuts, cold cereal, skim milk, cheese, brown bread, margarine, and non-citrus fruits) in the male, female, or full cohorts. Three diet scores, constructed on the basis of healthy diet guidelines, were inversely associated with serum urate levels and a fourth, data driven diet pattern positively associated with raised serum urate levels, but each explained ≤0.3% of variance in serum urate. In comparison, 23.9% of variance in serum urate levels was explained by common, genome wide single nucleotide variation.ConclusionIn contrast with genetic contributions, diet explains very little variation in serum urate levels in the general population.
There has been increased interest in gout in both academic and clinical practice settings. Several reasons may explain this. The prevalence of both hyperuricemia and gout has risen in the last ...decades in developed countries and therefore the burden of gout has increased. The association of hyperuricemia and gout with cardiovascular outcomes and the opportunity of further benefits of intervention on hyperuricemia have been recently highlighted in the literature. Imaging techniques have proven to be useful for detection of urate deposition, even prior to the first clinical symptoms, enabling the evaluation of the extent of deposition and providing objective measurement of crystal depletion during urate-lowering treatment. Treating to target is increasingly used as the approach to treatment of diverse diseases. Therefore, different targets have been recommended for different stages of the burden of disease and for different stages of treatment. The final strategic target, to which any effort should be taken into consideration, is to completely dissolve urate crystals in tissues and therefore avoid further symptoms and structural damage of involved musculoskeletal structures. In summary, evidence suggest that an early approach to the treatment of gout and associated comorbidities is advisable, that new imaging techniques may help to evaluate both the burden of deposition and response to urate-lowering treatment in selected patients, and finally that the final strategic objective of healthcare for patients with gout is to completely resolve urate crystal deposits.
Hyperuricaemia (increased serum urate concentration) occurs mainly in higher primates, including in humans, because of inactivation of the gene encoding uricase during primate evolution. Individuals ...with hyperuricaemia might develop gout - a painful inflammatory arthritis caused by monosodium urate crystal deposition in articular structures. Hyperuricaemia is also associated with common chronic diseases, including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Many mouse models have been developed to investigate the causal mechanisms for hyperuricaemia. These models are highly diverse and can be divided into two broad categories: mice with genetic modifications (genetically induced models) and mice exposed to certain environmental factors (environmentally induced models; for example, pharmaceutical or dietary induction). This Review provides an overview of the mouse models of hyperuricaemia and the relevance of these models to human hyperuricaemia, with an emphasis on those models generated through genetic modifications. The challenges in developing and comparing mouse models of hyperuricaemia and future research directions are also outlined.
The pathophysiological nature of the common ABCG2 gout and hyperuricemia associated variant Q141K (rs2231142) remains undefined. Here, we use a human interventional cohort study (ACTRN12615001302549) ...to understand the physiological role of ABCG2 and find that participants with the Q141K ABCG2 variant display elevated serum urate, unaltered FEUA, and significant evidence of reduced extra-renal urate excretion. We explore mechanisms by generating a mouse model of the orthologous Q140K Abcg2 variant and find male mice have significant hyperuricemia and metabolic alterations, but only subtle alterations of renal urate excretion and ABCG2 abundance. By contrast, these mice display a severe defect in ABCG2 abundance and function in the intestinal tract. These results suggest a tissue specific pathobiology of the Q141K variant, support an important role for ABCG2 in urate excretion in both the human kidney and intestinal tract, and provide insight into the importance of intestinal urate excretion for serum urate homeostasis.
Colchicine is a widely used drug to treat inflammatory diseases. Due to its long historical use in medicine, controlled clinical trials have been small and there remains some caution with the use of ...this drug in patients with co-morbidities. The aim of the study is to systematically examine the side effect profile of colchicine in controlled clinical trials across all published indications.
A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA methodology. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for double-blind controlled trials of oral colchicine in adult patients that reported adverse event data. Meta-analyses were used to determine the relative risk (RR) of adverse events in colchicine users compared to comparator groups.
A total of 4915 studies were initially identified and after exclusions, 35 randomised controlled trials with placebo (n = 35) or active comparators (n = 5) were included. The most common diseases studied were gout, liver cirrhosis and pericarditis. There were a total of 8659 pooled participants, 4225 participants were randomised to receive colchicine, 3956 to placebo and 411 to an active comparator. Diarrhoea was reported in 17.9% of colchicine users versus 13.1% in comparator groups (RR 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6, 3.7). Any gastrointestinal event was reported in 17.6% of colchicine users and 13.1% of comparators (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3, 2.3). Adverse liver events were reported in 1.9% of colchicine users versus 1.1% in the comparator groups (RR 1.6, 95% CI 0.9, 3.0). Muscle events were reported in 4.2% of colchicine users and 3.3% in the comparator groups (RR 1.3, 95% CI 0.8, 1.9). Haematology events were reported in 0.6% of colchicine users and 0.4% of comparator groups (RR 1.34 (0.64, 2.82). No study reported neuropathy events. Other sensory events were reported in 1.1% of colchicine users and 1.5% of comparator groups (RR 1.4, 95% CI 0.3, 6.7). Infectious events were reported in 0.4% of colchicine users and 2.1% of comparator groups (RR 1.0, 95% CI 0.7, 1.5). No study reported death as an adverse event.
Colchicine increases the rate of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal adverse events but does not increase the rate of liver, sensory, muscle, infectious or haematology adverse events or death.
The aim of this systematic literature review was to comprehensively describe the anatomical pathology of tissues affected by gout.
We searched PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica Database ...(EMBASE), and Web of Science Core Collection for all English language articles published before March 2018. Articles were included if they described the microscopic or macroscopic appearances of gout in human tissue.
Four hundred and seventeen articles met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Articles describing the anatomical pathology of gout in musculoskeletal structures, including bone, tendon and ligaments, synovium and cartilage, were most common. Articles describing skin and kidney pathology in gout were also common, with pathology in other sites such as visceral organs less common. At all sites, monosodium urate crystal deposition was reported, and the tophus was also described within many different tissues. During a gout flare, diffuse acute neutrophilic synovial inflammation was evident. The tophus was described as an organised chronic giant cell granulomatous structure consisting of monosodium urate crystals, innate and adaptive immune cells, and fibrovascular tissue.
Consistent with the clinical presentation of gout, most studies describing the anatomical pathology of gout report involvement of musculoskeletal structures, with monosodium urate crystal deposition and tophus the most common lesions described. This review details the anatomical pathology features of gout at affected sites.
A glance into the future of gout Sivera, Francisca; Andres, Mariano; Dalbeth, Nicola
Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease,
2022, Volume:
14
Book Review, Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Gout is characterized by monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposits in and within joints. These deposits result from persistent hyperuricaemia and most typically lead to recurrent acute inflammatory ...episodes (gout flares). Even though some aspects of gout are well characterized, uncertainties remain; this upcoming decade should provide further insights into many of these uncertainties. Synovial fluid analysis allows for the identification of MSU crystals and unequivocal diagnosis. Non-invasive methods for diagnosis are being explored, such as Raman spectroscopy and imaging modalities. Both ultrasound and dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) allow the detection of MSU crystals; this not only provides a mean of diagnosis, but also has furthered gout knowledge defining the presence of a preclinical deposition in asymptomatic hyperuricaemia. Scientific consensus establishes the beginning of gout as the beginning of symptoms (usually the first flare), but the concept is currently under review. For effective long-term gout management, the main goal is to promote crystal dissolution treatment by reducing serum urate below 6 mg/dL (or 5 mg/dL if faster crystal dissolution is required). Current urate-lowering therapies’ (ULTs) options are limited, with allopurinol and febuxostat being widely available, and probenecid, benzbromarone, and pegloticase available in some regions. New xanthine oxidase inhibitors and, especially, uricosurics inhibiting urate transporter URAT1 are under development; it is probable that the new decade will see a welcomed increase in the gout therapeutic armamentarium. Cardiovascular and renal comorbidities are common in gout patients. Studies determining whether optimal treatment of gout will positively impact these comorbidities are currently lacking, but will hopefully be forthcoming. Overall, the single change that will most impact gout management is greater uptake of international rheumatology society recommendations. Innovative strategies, such as nurse-led interventions based on these recommendations have recently demonstrated treatment success for people with gout.