Gout Disease Summary

Last updated: 27 November 2025

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Overview

Gout is a condition wherein there is increased urate in the body, also called hyperuricemia, that leads to deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) monohydrate crystals in various tissues (eg joints, connective tissue, kidney), as stated in the Introduction section.

In the US and Europe, the estimated prevalence of gout is 3% of the adult population, while the prevalence of gout in the Asia-Pacific region varies. A detailed discussion about the prevalence of gout is in the Epidemiology section.

The Pathophysiology section states that gout develops due to the accumulation and crystallization of uric acid, forming monosodium urate (MSU) crystals.  The development process of gout is in this section.

The causes of hyperuricemia are excessive uric acid production and decreased renal clearance. Discussions on these causes are in the Etiology section.

The Risk Factors section explains the factors that increase the likelihood of developing gout and associated metabolic abnormalities and comorbidities associated with gout.



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History and Physical Examination

The Clinical Presentation section lists the clinical phases of gout and their clinical manifestations.

Diagnosis

The Diagnosis or Diagnostic Criteria section features the gout classification criteria, which were developed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) in 2015. The EULAR recommendations for the diagnosis of gout and the diagnostic rule for gout in the primary care setting are also in this section.

Discussion on synovial fluid analysis, serum urate levels and other additional laboratory examination that are essential in the diagnosis of gout is in the Laboratory Tests and Ancillaries section.  

Other conditions that should be ruled out in the evaluation of gout are listed in the Differential Diagnosis section.

Management

The Pharmacological Therapy section discusses in detail the treatment for acute gouty arthritis and long-term treatment for gouty arthritis.

The Nonpharmacological section includes things to educate the patient about gout and the importance of lifestyle modification and physical treatment in the management of gout.

Indications for considering surgical options in the treatment of chronic tophaceous gout are in the Surgery section. Debridement, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy are also discussed in this section.