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January 20, 2012

Relieving Gout Flare-ups: New Use for an Existing Drug

In pharmaceutical researches, a drug which is studied initially for use in one disease may sometimes become an effective treatment for another illness. For instance, Viagra, the well-known medicine for erectile dysfunction, were originally developed for use in hypertension and angina pectoris. Likewise, a recent study found that a medication used to treat another disease might help gout patients reducing their painful flare-ups.

Gout is a very common and painful form of arthritis. Male adults, particularly those between the ages of 40 and 50 have higher risks of developing gout than females. On the other hand, it is rare for children and young adults to develop gout. According to the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH), men who have family members with gout and often drink alcoholic beverages are more likely to get gout.

 

  

Gout occurs when uric acid in our bodies is built up as needle-like crystals in our joints and surrounding soft tissues. Our joints will eventually develop inflammatory arthritis caused by these uric acid crystals, and we may start experiencing intermittent swelling, redness, heat, stiffness, and pain in our joints. Although gout usually first occurs in the big toes, it can also attack other joints such as ankles, heels, knees, elbows, wrists, and fingers. Gout patients may experience intense pain during the night and have limited movement in the affected joints. Those uric acid crystals can also gather in the kidneys, lead to kidney stones, and cause permanent kidney damage.


A recent study reported by the study author—Dr. H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr., a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the United States, proved that a protein-inhibitor drug rilonacept (Arcalyst) appeared to significantly reduce the occurrence of gout flare-ups. The researchers also published their study results in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Gout patients usually suffer from a sudden outburst or worsening of gout that can last days or weeks. The researchers gathered 83 gout patients who had a history of gout flare-ups and a high level of uric acid from 27 U.S. study centers. They divided those patients in half and gave one group injections of rilonacept for 16 weeks. The researchers found that only 15 percent of rilonacept group experienced flare-ups three months into the study, whereas the flare-ups rate was 45 percent in non-rilonacept patients. The study author, Dr. Schumacher, suggested that “Rilonacept appears safe and well tolerated and could increase patient adherence to long-term urate-lowering therapy.”

In addition to medical treatment, many doctors recommend that gout can be prevented by keeping healthy lifestyles, such as having a healthy diet, losing weight, and limiting alcohol consumption. Drinking plenty of nonalcoholic beverages, especially water, will help to remove uric acid from our bodies. Furthermore, avoiding or limiting consumption of high-purine foods like anchovies, sardines, scallops, asparagus, mushrooms, livers, and beef kidneys that can increase uric acid levels as well as doing exercises regularly may also help reducing the risk of developing gout.

 

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