Diagnosis and Management of Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia and Gout in Older Adults

Ian K. Tsang, MB, FRCPC, Clinical Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

Gout is more prevalent in older adults than middle-age adults, and it affects women almost as commonly as men. An important clinical consideration regarding gout is that while hyperuricemia is commonly associated with gouty arthritis, a diagnosis of asymptomatic hyperuricemia does not generally require treatment. In addition, the clinical presentation and course of gout in older patients differ from the typical cases of middle-aged patients. Moreover, older gout patients present a challenge for physicians who manage them because of the high incidence of comorbid conditions and the likely occurrence of reduced renal function among this age group. This article reviews the diagnosis and management of asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gout in the older adult.
Key words: gout, hyperuricemia, NSAID, allopurinol, arthritis.