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 staff—
and 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!