Recent Gout Guidelines Help Control Kidney Disease in People with Hyperuricemia

In a recent trial, patients with hyperuricemia who took urate lowering therapy and achieved a serum uric acid of less than 6 mg/dL—consistent with the 2012 American College of Rheumatology Guidelines for Management of Gout—experienced a 37% reduction in progression of renal disease. The majority of patients who took urate-lowering therapy during the course of the study were taking allopurinol. The findings, presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, suggest that treating to the guidelines is an effective way of preventing and controlling kidney disease in people with hyperuricemia.