News
It is important to reduce serum uric acid levels, Dr. Whiteman explained. “Gout occurs when serum uric acid rises and urate crystals reach their saturation point in the serum and start to crystallize out into the joints and into the tissues,” she said. “It’s a progressive disease that usually starts in one joint, but if the serum uric acid isn’t controlled then it can go on to affect a number of joints,” and cause chronic arthritis, among other potentially serious conditions, and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease.
“Studies across the world have shown that gout is not well looked after; patient adherence to treatment is very poor,” Dr. Whiteman said. “Among all the chronic diseases it has the lowest adherence to treatment,” she added, noting that one study showed just one-fifth of patients remained on gout medication at 1 year.
Patient education is an important part of the clinic’s services, as when people are asymptomatic and between bouts of gout, they perhaps do not realize that they still need to take their medication. Education thus needs to include talking about their diet and lifestyle, providing information on medication, and why it is important to keep their serum uric acid levels in check.
