Treatment of acute gout in hospitalized patients.

OBJECTIVE

To record practice patterns of treatment of acute gout in hospitalized patients.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective chart review of hospitalized patients diagnosed with gout.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine (43%) patients were diagnosed with acute gout during their hospitalization. Fifty-eight (73%) patients with acute gout were found to have a reduction in their glomerular filtration rate. Twenty patients (25%) underwent arthrocentesis. The most widely used drugs for acute gout were colchicine, n = 42 (53%), and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), n = 40 (51%). Combination therapy was used in 52% of patients with acute gout. Thiry-six (86%) patients treated with colchicine and 32 (80%) patients treated with NSAID had renal failure.

DISCUSSION

Crystal analysis, the gold standard for diagnosing gout, was performed in only 25% of patients suspected of acute gout. Combination antiinflammatory agents are used in over 50% of patients despite the absence of evidence to support use of such combinations. Renal failure was present in 73% of patients with acute gout. Colchicine and NSAID should therefore be used with caution in these patients. Practice patterns vary widely and often appear to be in conflict with recommended diagnostic and treatment measures for acute gout.