Gout News

Most scientists, by nature and by training, are in one business: Observe a knowledge gap, and fill it. With that in mind, in 2001, the founders of the Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America (Corrona) LLC recognized that there was no database — independent of big pharma — that collected clinical data from both rheumatologists and patients on the safety and efficacy of emerging drug therapies.

Despite available treatments, more than 28% of patients with gout who are discharged from the ED receive opioids for pain, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Patients with gout have an increased risk for death from certain noncardiovascular conditions, particularly renal disease and diseases of the digestive system, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Just 51% of patients who reported frequent gout flares also said they were currently receiving first-line urate-lowering therapy, according to Australia-based survey findings published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Physicians should refrain from diagnosing gout based solely on hyperuricemia, according to updated EULAR recommendations published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

There is no shortage of myths and falsehoods regarding gout, and all of them can be easily found and absorbed by any patient with an internet connection. In addition, even well-intentioned, fact-based education may not include the latest research and data.

Political activism is more accessible than ever thanks to the amplification offered by social media, and rheumatologists can use social media — particularly Twitter — to advocate for the profession and their patients, according to Angus Worthing, MD, private practice rheumatologist and chair of the Government Affairs Committee for the American College of Rheumatology.

A survey of European patients with gout showed that general practitioners, and not rheumatologists, are overwhelmingly diagnosing and managing the disease, according to findings presented at the EULAR Annual Congress.

Occupational exposure to inorganic dust such as asbestos, silica and coal was associated with a significant increase in gout risk in a large cohort study from Sweden, according to findings presented at the EULAR Annual Congress.

A “moderate certainty of evidence” showed that sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with a 208% increase in incident gout, when comparing intake levels, according to data published in BMJ Open.