Gout – Practicable Interdisciplinary Insights for the Clinician on a Surgeon’s Perspective

Gout is a common systemic metabolic disease caused either by increased uric acid production or by decreased uric acid excretion potentially leading to crystal deposition of monosodium urate in various tissues and resulting in acute gouty attacks mainly initially presenting as mono arthritis of joints. The further course can be accompanied with development of chronic tophaceous gout with or without complications such as skin perforation of tophi accompanied with occurrence of chronic fistula and overlying bacterial infection. When the diagnostic management was early and sufficiently done, it can be successfully treated by specific drugs in most cases, and approximately in up to 5% of cases only surgical intervention becomes necessary that includes various extremity- and motion-preserving procedures, but in life threatening conditions primary amputation as well. The aim of this article is to present practicable interdisciplinary insights of the disease for clinicians on a view of a surgeon. Key words: Gout; Diagnosis; Clinical presentation; Differential diagnoses; Treatments