Objective To provide guidance for the management of gout, including indications for and optimal use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT), treatment of gout flares, and lifestyle and other medication recommendations. Methods Fifty-seven population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes questions were developed, followed by a systematic literature review, including network meta-analyses with ratings of the available evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, and patient input. A group consensus process was used to compose the final recommendations and grade their strength as strong or conditional. Results Forty-two recommendations (including 16 strong recommendations) were generated. Strong recommendations included initiation of ULT for all patients with tophaceous gout, radiographic damage due to gout, or frequent gout flares; allopurinol as the preferred first-line ULT, including for those with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease (CKD; stage >3); using a low starting dose of allopurinol (≤100 mg/day, and lower in CKD) or febuxostat ( Conclusion Using GRADE methodology and informed by a consensus process based on evidence from the current literature and patient preferences, this guideline provides direction for clinicians and patients making decisions on the management of gout.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/acr.24180

2020 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Management of Gout.

Background Elevated serum urate levels are associated with progression of chronic kidney disease. Whether urate-lowering treatment with allopurinol can attenuate the decline of the estimat...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1915833

Effects of Allopurinol on the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease

AIMS To compare the occurrence of cerebral, cardiovascular, and renal events in patients with hyperuricaemia treated with febuxostat and those treated with conventional therapy with lifestyle modification. METHODS AND RESULTS This multicentre, prospective, randomized open-label, blinded endpoint study was done in 141 hospitals in Japan. A total of 1070 patients were included in the intention-to-treat population. Elderly patients with hyperuricaemia (serum uric acid >7.0 to ≤9.0 mg/dL) at risk for cerebral, cardiovascular, or renal disease, defined by the presence of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, renal disease, or history of cerebral or cardiovascular disease, were randomized to febuxostat and non-febuxostat groups and were observed for 36 months. Cerebral, cardiovascular, and renal events and all deaths were defined as the primary composite event. The serum uric acid level at endpoint (withdrawal or completion of the study) in the febuxostat (n = 537) and non-febuxostat groups (n = 533) was 4.50 ± 1.52 and 6.76 ± 1.45 mg/dL, respectively (P < 0.001). The primary composite event rate was significantly lower in the febuxostat group than in non-febuxostat treatment [hazard ratio (HR) 0.750, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.592-0.950; P = 0.017] and the most frequent event was renal impairment (febuxostat group: 16.2%, non-febuxostat group: 20.5%; HR 0.745, 95% CI 0.562-0.987; P = 0.041). CONCLUSION Febuxostat lowers uric acid and delays the progression of renal dysfunction. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01984749).

Febuxostat for Cerebral and CaRdiorenovascular Events PrEvEntion StuDy.

Hyperuricaemia and gout in cardiovascular, metabolic and kidney disease.

Hyperuricaemia is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and increases in severity with the deterioration of kidney function. Although existing guidelines for CKD management do not recommend testing for or treatment of hyperuricaemia in the absence of a diagnosis of gout or urate nephrolithiasis, an emerging body of evidence supports a direct causal relationship between serum urate levels and the development of CKD. Here, we review randomized clinical trials that have evaluated the effect of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) on the rate of CKD progression. Among trials in which individuals in the control arm experienced progressive deterioration of kidney function (which we define as ≥4 ml/min/1.73 m² over the course of the study — typically 6 months to 2 years), treatment with ULT conferred consistent clinical benefits. In contrast, among trials where clinical progression was not observed in the control arm, treatment with ULT was ineffective, but this finding should not be used as an argument against the use of uric acid-lowering therapy. Although additional studies are needed to identify threshold values of serum urate for treatment initiation and to confirm optimal target levels, we believe that sufficient evidence exists to recommend routine measurement of serum urate levels in patients with CKD and consider initiation of ULT among those who are hyperuricaemic with evidence of deteriorating renal function, unless specific contraindications exist. This Perspectives article considers why clinical trials of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) have shown inconsistent renoprotective effects in patients with chronic kidney disease, and suggests that sufficient evidence exists to support the use of routine screening for hyperuricaemia and initiation of ULT in selected patients.

Teruhiko Mizumoto

Papers

Febuxostat Therapy for Patients With Stage 3 CKD and Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia: A Randomized Trial