Abstract
Gout is caused by the crystal deposition of monosodium urate in and around joint tissues. The first joint affected in the majority of cases is the first metatarsophalangeal joint, a condition known as podagra. Acute gout is characterized by the rapid development of warmth, swelling, erythema, and pain in the affected joint. The natural history of gout is to worsen with time, progressing through the stages of asymptomatic hyperuri-cemia and acute intermittent gouty attacks to tophaceous gout. The time period between the first development of acute intermittent gouty attacks and the appearance of chronic tophaceous gout is approximately a decade in most cases. The development of tophaceous deposits of monosodium urate is a function of the degree and duration of hyperuricemia. However, most people with hyperuricemia never develop clinical gout.
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Cronstein, B.N., Pillinger, M.H. (2009). The Clinical Features of Gout. In: Stone, J.H. (eds) A Clinician's Pearls and Myths in Rheumatology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84800-934-9_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84800-934-9_34
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