Miliarial-type gout in association with chronic use of glucocorticoids.

A 59-year-old male patient with long-standing tophaceous gout (more than 30 years) characterized by polyarticular involvement and recurrent disseminated tophi formation; his past medical history is relevant for poor adherence to urate-lowering medications, as well as persistent use of self-prescribed systemic glucocorticoids. Despite achieving therapeutic goals for serum uric acid levels, new tophi formation with an intradermal location in the form of "miliarial-type gout" was documented. Due to functional limitations, the patient underwent surgical resection of the olecranon bursa. This case illustrates a widespread and recurrent tophi formation associated with long-standing gout and regular and sustained glucocorticoid use, despite an adequate disease control based on serum urate levels and involving an intradermal location of tophi presenting as "miliarial-type" lesions. In addition, the coexistence of urate and cholesterol crystal deposition disease in olecranon gouty bursitis is presented. Finally, a sonographic extended field of view of lesions distributed along the patient's extremities is presented as a novel characterization of this condition.

Tofo gotoso gigante en presentación inusual / Giant gouty tophi in unusual presentation

La gota es una enfermedad reumática inflamatoria que se debe al depósito de cristales de urato monosódico en las articulaciones. En su evolución clínica se distingues dos formas: la fase aguda caracterizada por un proceso inflamatorio monoarticular agudo de gran sensibilidad, y la fase crónica o de mantenimiento, cuyo elemento fundamental es la acumulación de cristales de urato monosódico llamados tofos gotosos. Estos se presentan con mayor frecuencia en el dorso de los dedos, a nivel articular y en el pabellón auricular. Se presenta el caso de un paciente masculino, de 47 años, con diagnóstico de gota de 5 años de evolución y con tratamiento irregular. Este paciente presentó tofos gotosos en localizaciones infrecuentes que limitaron su capacidad funcional. Este caso demuestra la necesidad de un diagnóstico oportuno y una adecuada adherencia al tratamiento, por lo que se considera importante para la comunidad médica, especialmente los profesionales de la salud que atienden a pacientes con artropatía gotosa(AU)´

Gout is a rheumatic, inflammatory disease that is generated by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals at the joint level. Two forms can be distinguished in its clinical evolution: the acute phase characterized by an acute monoarticular inflammatory process of great sensitivity, and the chronic or maintenance phase where the fundamental element is the presence of accumulations of monosodium urate crystals called gouty tophi. These occur more frequently on the back of the fingers, at the joint level and in the auricle. This paper presents the case of a 47-year-old male patient, diagnosed with gout for 5 years and with irregular treatment, who presented gouty tophi in infrequent locations that limit the patient's functional capacity. The case is presented considering it important for the medical community; especially health professionals caring for patients with gouty arthropathy(AU)´

Deformidad articular secundaria a artropatía gotosa / Joint deformity secondary to gouty arthropathy

RESUMEN La artropatía gotosa es una enfermedad inflamatoria que afecta fundamentalmente a pacientes masculinos por encima de los 50 años de edad. Su principal expresión clínica desde el punto de vista articular es la presencia de un cuadro inflamatorio monoarticular de elevada sensibilidad. Cuando el diagnóstico es tardío, el tratamiento inadecuado o no existe adherencia terapéutica por parte de los pacientes, los cristales de urato monosódico se acumulan en forma de tofos gotosos que no solo afectan la función articulares, sino que generan gran discapacidad y afectación de la percepción de la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Se presenta la imagen poco frecuente de gran acumulación de tofos gotosos en el dorso de ambas manos que limita considerablemente la movilidad articular, la capacidad funcional y la percepción de la calidad de vida secundaria a una no adherencia farmacológica del paciente.

ABSTRACT Gouty arthropathy is an inflammatory disease that mainly affects male patients over 50 years of age. Its main clinical expression from the joint point of view is the presence of a highly sensitive monoarticular inflammatory picture. When the diagnosis is late, the treatment is inadequate or there is no therapeutic adherence by the patients, the monosodium urate crystals accumulate in the form of gouty tophi that not only affect joint function, but also cause great disability and impairment of perception quality of life related to health. The rare image of a large accumulation of gouty tophi on the back of both hands is presented, which considerably limits joint mobility, functional capacity, and the perception of quality of life secondary to the patient's pharmacological non-adherence.

[De-sensitization to allopurinol in a patient with tophi gout]. / Desensibilización a alopurinol en paciente con gota tofácea.

BACKGROUND: Allopurinol is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor used in the treatment of patients with gout. Approximately 2% of patients are affected by adverse reactions to this drug. Severity ranges from mild rashes to severe reactions in up to 0.4% of cases. De-sensitization is carried out by administering increasing doses of the drug. CASE REPORT: Thirty-year old man diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia treated with bezafibrate and pravastatin, systemic arterial hypertension treated with losartan and a 10-year history of hyperuricemia with gout. Tophi were found in metacarpophalangeal joints and elbows. Treatment was started with allopurinol 300 mg/day. Two weeks later, he experienced facial erythema with itching and maculopapular lesions on the malar region 1 hour after the medication was ingested. An outpatient drug de-sensitization protocol was initiated, starting with 5 mg, and with gradual dose increases every 4 to 5 days for 59 days until the desired maintenance dose (300 mg) was reached. CONCLUSIONS: Experience shows that de-sensitization to allopurinol is a safe alternative when there is hypersensitivity and treatment with this drug is required.

Antecedentes: El alopurinol es un inhibidor de la xantinooxidasa usado en el tratamiento de pacientes con gota. Aproximadamente 2 % de los pacientes son afectados por reacciones adversas a dicho fármaco. La severidad varía de erupciones cutáneas leves a reacciones graves hasta en 0.4 % de los casos. La desensibilización se lleva a cabo incrementando paulatinamente la dosis del fármaco. Reporte de caso: Hombre de 30 años con diagnóstico de hipercolesterolemia e hipertrigliceridemia tratadas con bezafibrato y pravastatina, hipertensión arterial sistémica tratada con losartán e hiperuricemia con gota de 10 años de diagnóstico. Los tofos se encontraban en articulaciones metacarpofalángicas y codos. Se inició tratamiento con 300 mg diarios de alopurinol, a las dos semanas el paciente presentó eritema facial con prurito y lesiones maculopapulares en región malar una hora después de la ingesta del medicamento. Se inició protocolo ambulatorio de desensibilización a dicho fármaco comenzando con 5 mg, con incremento gradual de la dosis cada cuatro o cinco días por 59 días, hasta llegar a la dosis de mantenimiento deseada (300 mg). Conclusiones: La experiencia muestra que la desensibilización a alopurinol es una alternativa segura cuando existe hipersensibilidad y necesidad de tratamiento con este fármaco.

Cytokine Profile in Gout: Inflammation Driven by IL-6 and IL-18?

INTRODUCTION: Gout is considered to be an autoinflammatory disease and the presence of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals stimulates activation of NPRL3 inflammasome and subsequently caspase-1, generating production of active IL-1ß and IL-18. However, the association between serum cytokines levels and clinical manifestations of the disease is not yet well understood. We evaluated the serum profile of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17A, IL-18, IL-22, and IL-23) and described their relationship with clinical and laboratory data. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-nine male patients with gout (GG) were assessed for clinical and laboratory variables and cytokine levels were measured by ELISA. For the purposes of comparison, 34 males with no previous history of arthritis were also included in the study (CG). RESULTS: Seventeen participants (43%) exhibited active arthritis on evaluation. Levels of IL-18 were significantly higher in patients in relation to the CG (p = 0.0013). No statistically significant differences were found between the GG and CG for the other measured cytokines. There was a moderate correlation between IL-18 and ESR (R = 0.43, p = 0.0073), CRP (R = 0.47, p = 0.0025), and serum levels of IL-6 (R = 0.36, p = 0.023). An association was observed between serum levels of IL-6 and the presence of tophi (p = 0.005) and deformities (p = 0.0008), as well as a correlation between this cytokine and ESR (R = 0.41, p = 0.011) and CRP (R = 0.48, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: IL-18 is associated with inflammatory activity in gout, as well as with IL-6 levels, while IL-6 is associated with clinical and laboratory activity, the presence of tophi and articular deformities, and may be a prognostic marker of this pathology.

Gota y tofos en pulpejos / Gout and finger pads tophi

No existen datos exactos relativos a la prevalencia de tofos en pulpejos como manifestación inicial de la gota. El objetivo de este estudio es describir la población de pacientes con gota y evaluar la presencia de tofos en pulpejos de dedos de manos, pies y articulaciones interfalángicas distales, comparando los datos clínicos entre los pacientes con y sin tofos. Se reclutaron 161 pacientes con gota. Si bien los pacientes con tofos en pulpejos (12 pacientes) tenían mayor edad que aquellos sin tofos en esta localización, tenían mayor tiempo de evolución de la gota, mayor número de ellos tenían compromiso renal y menor porcentaje de enfermedades asociadas, ninguno de estos datos alcanzó significancia estadística.

There are no accurate data on the prevalence of tophi in finger padsas the initial manifestation of gout. The aim of this study is to describethe patients population with gout and evaluate the presence of tophiin pads of fingers, feet and distal interphalangeal joints comparingthe clinical data between patients with and without tophi.161 gout patients were recruited. While patients with tophi in pads(12 patients) were older than those without tophi at this location,had a longer history of gout, as many of them had renal involvementand lower percentage of associated diseases, none of these datareached statistical significance.

Artrite da gota tofácea crônica mimetizando artrite reumatoide / Chronic tophaceous gout mimicking rheumatoid arthritis

A gota é um distúrbio no metabolismo das purinas, usualmente associado à ocorrência de crises recorrentes de artrite nas articulações dos membros inferiores em homens entre 40-50 anos, e com o desenvolvimento de tofos subcutâneos nos pacientes com doença de longa evolução. Casos de pacientes com artrite gotosa crônica que mimetizam quadros de artrite reumatoide e vice-versa são raros. Descrevemos o caso de um paciente de 56 anos, com quadro de artrite poliarticular, simétrica e deformante, comprometendo principalmente as articulações de mãos e punhos, com nódulos subcutâneos difusos pelo corpo, alterações radiográficas atípicas e urolitíase, que, após avaliação clínica e dos exames complementares, recebeu diagnóstico de gota tofácea crônica mutilante mimetizando artrite reumatoide.

Gout is a disorder of purine metabolism, usually associated with recurrent bouts of arthritis in the joints of the lower limbs, affecting men 40 to 50 years of age, which leads to the development of subcutaneous tophi in patients with long-lasting disease. Cases of patients with chronic gouty arthritis mimicking rheumatoid arthritis, and vice-versa, are rare. This report describes the case of a 56-year old male with symmetric, deforming, and polyarticular arthritis affecting, specially, the joints of the hands and wrists, with diffuse subcutaneous nodules throughout his body, atypical radiographic findings, and urolithiasis. Following clinical evaluation and additional tests, this patient received a diagnosis of chronic tophaceous gout mimicking mutilating rheumatoid arthritis.

Paraplegia aguda por compressão da medula espinhal torácica causada por tofo gotoso / Acute paraplegia resulting from spinal cord compression by tophaceous gout

O acometimento axial pela gota é um evento raro, e o envolvimento da coluna torácica foi descrito em apenas 17 casos na literatura. Apresentamos um caso de paciente do sexo masculino de 48 anos com história de gota, sob tratamento irregular com alopurinol e colchicina, que desenvolveu paraplegia aguda decorrente de compressão medular por tofo gotoso. Realizou-se o diagnóstico por meio de ressonância magnética e anatomia patológica. Foi tratado com antiinflamatórios e descompressão cirúrgica com melhora importante, porém parcial. Apesar de o acometimento medular pelo tofo ser um evento raro, deve ser considerado nos casos de síndrome de compressão medular em pacientes com antecedente de gota.

Axial gout is a rare condition and the involvement of the thoracic spine has been described only 17 times in the literature. This paper presents the case of a 48 year-old male patient with a history of gout, under irregular treatment with allopurinol and colchicines, who developed acute paraplegia resulting from spinal cord compression by tophaceous gout. The diagnosis was made using magnetic resonance imaging and anatomic pathology. The patient was treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and surgical decompression and showed important, albeit partial, improvement. Thus, although tophi rarely affect the spinal cord, they should be considered as a possibility in cases of spinal cord compression syndrome in patients with a history of gout.