Two patients with gout associated with the presence of an abnormal hemoglobin, Hb E, and hypersplenism are presented. Very large sclerotic-rimmed cystic erosions in the sacroiliac joints of both patients are unusual but characteristic of the skeletal lesions of gout. The hyperuricemia may be the result of the disordered nucleic acid metabolism associated with hemoglobin abnormality. The development of hypersplenism very likely accelerated this process and resulted in the clinical and radiographic manifestations of severe gout.
INDEX TERMS: Blood, diseases • Blood, proteins • globin and Hemoglobin Compounds • Sacroiliac Joint trophy
Study site: Hospital Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and gout have been associated infrequently. We describe 3 young adults with SLE who developed tophaceous gout relatively early in the course of their disease. All were underexcretors of uric acid but were studied after the development of renal disease; 2 were treated with diuretics. In 2 cases, gout became obvious while lupus was quiescent.
Diffusely-infiltrating mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis associated with lithiasis and chronic gout is reported in a 61-year-old Malay man. The patient underwent left nephrectomy and vesiculo-lithotomy. This tumour is postulated to arise in response to chronic irritation of the urothelium.
OBJECTIVE: We describe a 10 year observation of the effect of control of hyperuricemia compared with self-medication alone in patients with chronic gout.
METHODS: We studied 299 consecutively self-referred Malayo-Polynesian men with chronic gout, mean age 35 +/- 14.3 SD years. Subjects comprised 228 cases with chronic gout without tophi or urolithiasis (Group 1) and 71 with those complications (Group 2). Attacks of acute gouty arthritis were treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) and/or corticosteroids. After acute arthritis had settled, urate-lowering drugs were instituted in both groups combined with low dose colchicine and/or low dose NSAID for at least 0.5-2 years. Urate levels were maintained longterm at a mean of < 5 mg/dl. After 10 years, the dropouts were traced and evaluated for comparison with baseline and those who remained in the study. In Group 2 the urate-lowering drugs were continued.
RESULTS: Control of gout and hyperuricemia was achieved in all patients who remained under control: 91.6% of the 299 patients for at least 2 years (short-term), up to 5 years in 87.5% (medium term), and up to 10 years in 79.6% (longterm). In Group 1 (chronic gout without complication) only 36.8% had no attacks during 8 years, after they had tapered urate-lowering drug after the first 2 years of the study. In the 61 dropouts the intermittent symptomatic treatment and/or self-medication without longterm control of hyperuricemia resulted after 1 decade in chronic gout with more complications and associated conditions leading to increased morbidity, disability, and comorbidity, and 3 early mortalities.
CONCLUSION: By controlling hyperuricemia, improvement of the prognosis of chronic gout, comorbidity, and early death was achieved compared with self-medication alone. Self-medication in a developing country if continued unchecked may become a public health problem in a population with a high prevalence rate of gout.
BACKGROUND: Gout is a monosodium urate deposition disease which is prevalent worldwide. The usual manifestations are crystal arthropathy and tophi deposition in the soft tissues. Spinal tophi may also occur and are rarely reported, resulting in various clinical manifestations such as back pain, spinal cord compression, radiculopathy, and even mimicking epidural abscess and spondylodiscitis.
CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 42-year-old Chinese man with underlying gout who presented with back pain and radiculopathy. The diagnosis of spinal tophi was unsuspected and he was initially treated for epidural abscess and spondylodiscitis. He underwent a laminectomy and posterolateral fusion during which tophus material was discovered. He recovered and medications for gout were started.
CONCLUSION: Spinal tophi are rare. The diagnosis is difficult and spinal tophi may be mistaken for epidural abscess, spondylodiscitis, or neoplasm.