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Gout now affects one in forty people in the UK.

It is caused by an excess of uric acid in the blood and tissues of the body, which if present for long enough, can form into needle-like crystals which can inflame your joints and cause severe pain and swelling.

Most people with gout have high levels of uric acid in their body because it hasnt been efficiently removed by the kidneys and washed out in the urine.

If crystals build up under the skin, and form small white or yellow lumps known as tophi - caused by tophaceous gout - it can be a sign the condition is serious.

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NHS Choices said: Tophi are usually painless, but they can form in awkward places, such as at the ends of your fingers and around your toes.

Sometimes they can make everyday tasks such as preparing food or getting dressed difficult.

They can also can become inflamed and produce a toothpaste-like discharge.

While it can develop anywhere on the body, the condition is most prevalent in the toes, heels, knees, fingers, ears and forearms. It can also appear on the elbows.

Some people start developing them before an attack

Experts warn it usually takes several years after the first gout attack for tophi to develop.

NHS Choices said: Some people start developing them before an attack. Theyre usually a sign of severe gout and a good reason to reduce the levels of uric acid in your body.

Some patients find they have to have the tophi surgically removed.

However, now experts have revealed a new drug could help cure tophaceous gout.

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A new study, published in the journal Wiley, has revealed a drug called lesinurad, used in combination with febuxostat was better at lowering levels of urate than febuxostat alone.

Scientists tested the cocktail on 325 patients with tophaceous gout.

They found that over 12 months, significantly more patients in the group who took both drugs, than one drug alone, achieved target levels of rate.

"Combination treatment of lesinurad and febuxostat represents a new therapeutic option for patients with severe gout who cannot achieve the serum urate treatment target with xanthine oxidase inhibitor monotherapy," said Professor Nicola Dalbeth, lead author of the Arthritis and Rheumatology trial.

Experts said people with gout can reduce symptoms of the condition by making changes to their diet.

This involves reduce the amount of food high in purines, such as beer, organ meats, red meats and seafood, including certain oily fish.

The rest is here:
Gout symptoms - THIS is a sign form of arthritis is severe and needs URGENT treatment - Express.co.uk

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