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Published on: July 11, 2013
Interventions for tophi in gout: a Cochrane systematic literature review
Melonie K Sriranganathan1, Ophir Vinik2, Louise Falzon2
1From the Rheumatology Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom; Division of Rheumatology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Division of Rheumatology and Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto; and Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network; Institute for Work and Health, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Rheumatology Department, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; and the Department of Rheumatology and NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom.M.K. Sriranganathan, MBBS, MRCP, Specialist Registrar in Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine, Rheumatology Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust; O. Vinik, MD, FRCPC, Division of Rheumatology, University of Toronto; L. Falzon, PGDipInf, Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health, Columbia University Medical Center; C. Bombardier, MD, FRCPC, Professor, Division of Rheumatology and Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto; and Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network; Institute for Work and Health, Mount Sinai Hospital; D.M. van der Heijde, MD, PhD, Professor of Rheumatology, Rheumatology Department, Leiden University Medical Center; C.J. Edwards, MBBS, MD, FRCP, Department of Rheumatology and NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. melonie@doctors.org.uk.
Objective:
To systematically review the available literature on the management of tophi in gout. This article is based on the Cochrane Review Interventions for Tophi in Gout published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Methods:
Medline, Embase, and The Cochrane Library were searched using a strategy developed with an experienced librarian. We also searched American College of Rheumatology and European League Against Rheumatism conference abstracts from 2010-2011. Included articles were reviewed in detail and a risk of bias (using the Cochrane tool) and quality assessment were performed.
Results:
In total, 3206 references were recovered. Of these, 72 articles were selected based on our inclusion criteria. This included 1 report of 2 randomized controlled trials, 2 nonrandomized studies, and 69 case series and reports. The study with 2 randomized controlled trials looked at pegloticase. This showed improvement in tophi with treatment. One observational prospective trial looked at allopurinol and benzbromarone individually and in combination. It noted that achieving lower serum urate levels was associated with a faster reduction of tophi. An open-label extension trial noted that longterm maintenance of serum uric acid < 6.0 mg/dl with febuxostat led to a reduction in tophi. The case series and reports looked at surgical, pharmacological, and other interventions, as well as combination therapies. All surgical interventions reported improvement in pain and/or function. No report had objective measures of outcome.
Conclusion:
Treatment with urate-lowering therapy such as allopurinol, benzbromarone, allopurinol + benzbromarone in combination, febuxostat, or pegloticase can lead to reduction in tophi. There is some evidence that achieving a lower serum urate level leads to a faster rate of tophi reduction.
