Realities of modern urate-reducing therapy for gout

Abstract

Introduction. In the treatment of a patient with gout, it is important to achieve the target level of uric acid (UA) < 360 μmol/l, which reduces the frequency of acute attacks of arthritis and improves the prognosis of comorbid diseases. Relief of acute gouty arthritis causes much less difficulty compared with the appointment of urate-l owering therapy (UST). The reasons for not achieving the target level of MC can be both objective and subjective.Aim. To analyze the objective and subjective components of the activity and effectiveness of UST in real outpatient practice.Material and methods. A cross- sectional study of 117 randomly selected outpatient records of patients diagnosed with gout. Mean age 58.6 ± 13.1, mean UA level 423.7 ± 122.4 μmol/L. Additionally, an anonymous survey of doctors and patients with gout was conducted on the issues of UST.Results. Patients with gout in the analyzed group were characterized by a high degree of polymorbidity: women and men, respectively, had arterial hypertension in 100 and 79%, type 2 diabetes mellitus in 39 and 23%, osteoarthritis in 73 and 57%. With inevitable polypharmacy, UST was prescribed in 37.6% of patients. Achievement of target levels of UA was registered in 23.8% of men and 39.4% of women. Failure to achieve the target sUA was associated with diuretics, elevated creatinine, and body mass index. Physicians were more than 70% active in prescribing UST, but knowledge of a single target UA level was demonstrated by 6 to 13%, depending on work experience, with an excessive assumption of UST use during an acute gout attack (19 to 36.5%). Conclusion. All components of the diagnostic and therapeutic process of curing a gouty patient need to be improved.