[Hyperuricemia and gout: therapeutic indications].

Uricaemia-lowering treatment is indicated when hyperuricaemia is pronounced (90 mg/L or more) or when it is expressed by uric acid stones and/or gout. The drugs which lower plasma uric acid levels are presented according to their mode of action: uric acid inhibitors (allopurinol and tisopurine), uric acid excretors (probenecid, benzbromarone) and the uric acid lyser (urate-oxidase). The pharmacological and pharmaceutical data needed to understand the respective indications and applications of these drugs are given. These indications and those of adjuvant therapies are presented as answers to the following questions: when should a uricaemia-lowering treatment be initiated? What are the general rules to be obeyed? Which indications or contraindications must be borne in mind?