[Advances in the management of gout]

Gout is the most frequent cause of man's inflammatory arthritis after forty years of age and its prevalence is increasing. Although the physiopathology of this condition is starting to be thoroughly recognized, therapeutic approaches have not fundamentally changed during the last decades. In the absence of renal or digestive contraindications, non steroidal inflammatory drugs are the treatment of choice for acute flares of gout arthritis. If an indication for urate-lowering therapy exists, a xanthine oxydase inhibitor or an uricosurical treatment remains the treatment of choice, depending on the patient's co-morbidity. Purine restrictive diet, weight loss in case of obesity and lower alcohol intake are highly necessary co-measures.