CURRENT STATUS OF THE TREATMENT OF GOUT

Substantial advances in the management of gout have been made in recent years. Acute attacks of gout can now be terminated rapidly in most patients by the use of one of several medicaments. By proper management, the frequency of such attacks can be diminished and the later complications of the disease minimized or prevented. Although there is no known cure for gout in the strict sense of the word, results with the measures now available, if adapted to the stage of the disease and the needs of the individual patient, are distinctly better than those that could be obtained previously.

Diagnosis  Although gout is less common than some other forms of joint disease, it is by no means rare. It constitutes approximately 5% of the diagnoses in patients attending clinics devoted to arthritis and related diseases. The most important factor in establishing the correct diagnosis is to keep the possibility