July 2020
Help Your Patients Say "No" to Gout Flares
Greetings!

The Gout Education Society is committed to raising public awareness of gout. The Society arms healthcare professionals, like you, with resources to share with patients and staffand provides access to the most up-to-date research and information about gout and treatment options.

Summer has begun, and as more of your patients are getting outside, gout flares may be keeping some of them inside! If your patients are suffering from gout, remind them that they can take steps control their gout and get back to living a normal life—full of gardening, outdoor walks and most importantly, living pain-free!

Though it is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, gout is a poorly treated disease, even though it can be managed with different treatment options and diet and lifestyle changes . Remind your patients that gout is a disease that develops from high uric acid levels in the blood that cannot be properly eliminated. If gout patients are not receiving the proper treatment — typically involving a daily uric acid-lowering medication along with lifestyle changes—hyperuricemia can lead to painful gout flares, the development of tophi and possible bone loss and/or joint deformity.

Encourage your patients to schedule appointments to get their uric acid levels tested every six months. Uric acid levels should be 6.0 mg/dL or below, depending on flares and symptoms, in accordance with the ACR Guidelines for Gout Management. Encourage patients to get daily exercise and stay hydrated, too—especially during the hot summer months!

V isit GoutEducation.org to download our resources and educational gout cartoons .
*Still Needed!* Patient Responses for Survey on Gout Treatment During Coronavirus Pandemic
The University of Alabama is conducting a survey about gout treatment during the coronavirus pandemic. Please help out by sharing the below link with your gout patients.

Download Now! Featured Educational Material:
Who Gets Gout And Why Fact Sheet
Our print material fulfillment is on hold, but you can still download the "Who Gets Gout and Why" fact sheet, or any of our other resources, for free. If you don't mind waiting until we can ship copies to your office in the United States for free, let us know what you need!

Help Patients Find Better Gout Treatment Faster!
If you haven't already, we encourage you to sign up for the Gout Specialists Network (GSN)! T he GSN aims to provide gout patients with faster and better access to care from experts, like you. 
 
Joining the  Gout Specialists Network  is simple:

  1. To sign up, visit GoutSpecialistsNetwork.org. Joining is free of charge.
  2. After you register, update your profile page with information about you, your practice and more.
  3. Enjoy ongoing access to the latest gout information, research and continuing education.

As a member, you can choose to make your practice and professional information available to patients through a medical professional locator helping those with gout find qualified medical professionals in their area .
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