Gout overview

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Gout (also called metabolic arthritis) is a disease due to a congenital disorder of uric acid metabolism. In this condition, monosodium urate or uric acid crystals are deposited on the articular cartilage of joints, tendons and surrounding tissues due to elevated concentrations of uric acid in the blood stream. This provokes an inflammatory reaction of these tissues. These deposits often increase in size and burst through the skin to form sinuses discharging a chalky white material.

Historical Perspective

Aulus Cornelius Celsus appeared to recognize many of the features of gout. Galen described gout as a discharge of the four humors of the body in unbalanced amounts into the joints.