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Enriched Skim Milk Good for Gout, Study Suggests
Posted 19 days ago by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 24 – If you have gout, drinking enriched skim milk may help reduce the frequency of painful flare-ups, new research suggests. The new study included 120 patients who had experienced at least two flare-ups in the previous four months. They were divided into three treatment groups that consumed either lactose powder, skim milk powder or skim milk powder enriched with glycomacropeptide (GMP) and G600 milk fat extract (G600). Gout, a common form of arthritis, is caused by uric acid buildup in blood. Often, the big toe is the first place where gout strikes. Previous research has shown a higher risk for gout among people who consume fewer dairy products, and earlier work suggested that GMP and G600 tone down the inflammatory response to gout crystals. The powders were mixed in roughly 8 ounces of water as a vanilla-flavored shake and consumed once a day. The patients recorded ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout, Gout -- Acute, Pseudogout, Pseudogout - Prophylaxis, Gouty Arthritis, Gout -- Prophylaxis
Medication For Severe, Chronic Gout Associated With Improvement in Symptoms
Posted 17 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
CHICAGO, Aug. 16, 2011—As an alternative to a conventional treatment for gout that some patients may not respond to, patients with severe, chronic gout who received the medication pegloticase for 6 months had greater improvement in measures of uric acid levels as well as physical function and quality of life, according to a study in the August 17 issue of JAMA. Long-term urate (a salt derived from uric acid) lowering therapy in gout aims to maintain concentrations of uric acid (UA) below a certain level. However, it is common for UA levels to exceed a recommended goal urate range during oral urate-lowering therapy among the 5 to 6 million U.S. patients with gout, according to background information in the article. Although available oral urate-lowering agents can achieve target UA in most patients, urate-lowering therapy fails for perhaps 3 percent of patients because of refractoriness ( ... Read more
New Drug May Relieve Severe, Tough-to-Treat Gout
Posted 16 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Aug. 16 – For some gout patients afflicted with a particularly severe, crippling form of the disease who find standard treatments either intolerable or ineffective, a recently approved alternative appears to afford relief. A new injectable treatment called pegloticase (brand name Krystexxa) has no effect on most severe gout patients, but researchers say that for the roughly four in 10 patients who do respond positively, the improvement can be significant. Use of pegloticase was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2010. However, the treatment is expensive and the study found a high rate of side effects, some extremely serious, suggesting that health providers have to weigh the costs and benefits on a case by case basis. "What we're focusing on here are the approximately 3 percent of gout patients who have the most advanced form of disease," said study ... Read more
Painful Gout Afflicting More Americans: Study
Posted 28 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 28 – Over the past two decades, the number of American adults with the painful joint disease gout has soared to 8.3 million, a new study finds. The study's authors blame the rise in gout – an inflammatory form of arthritis triggered by a buildup of uric acid in the joints – on rising rates of obesity and high blood pressure. They note that better prevention of these risk factors might help reduce the number of people developing the painful condition. Gout now affects 4 percent of adults in the United States, according to the study. Hyperuricemia – a "pre-gout" condition associated with high levels of uric acid in the blood – affects 43.3 million U.S. adults, or 21 percent of the population, the researchers said. Researchers analyzed U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data on nearly 6,000 adults from 2007 and 2008, and compared it to data from 1988 ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout, Gout -- Acute, Gout -- Prophylaxis, Gouty Arthritis
New Survey Reveals Most Americans Unaware of Gout Risk Factors, in the Dark About Connection to Diabetes, Kidney Disease, and Cardiac Problems
Posted 19 May 2011 by Drugs.com
Gout & Uric Acid Education Society Survey Further Reveals Gout Sufferers Only Slightly More Aware of Risk Factors Than General Population May 22 is Gout Awareness Day CLEVELAND, May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — A new survey from the nonprofit Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) highlights an alarming awareness gap among Americans regarding the risk factors for gout, a chronic, potentially disabling form of arthritis which now affects an estimated 8.3 million Americans¹. Among the survey findings are that only one in 10 Americans correctly cited cardiovascular disease as a risk factor for gout, while only one in three Americans correctly reported that obesity is a risk factor, and less than one in five reported that diabetes and kidney disease are risk factors. GUAES released the survey findings in advance of its annual Gout Awareness Day on May 22. Gout is a form of arthritis caused by ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout
Women Who Drink Sugary Beverages Raise Risk of Gout
Posted 10 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 10 – Women who drink fructose-rich beverages such as sugar-sweetened sodas and orange juice are at increased risk for gout, a new study finds. The incidence of gout – a painful type of inflammatory arthritis – in the United States increased from 16 per 100,000 people in 1977 to 42 per 100,000 in 1996. That rise coincided with a large increase in soda and fructose consumption, the study authors noted. Fructose-rich beverages can cause a buildup of uric acid in the blood, which leads to gout. In this study, researchers analyzed data from 78,906 women who took part in the Nurses' Health Study between 1984 and 2006. The women had no history of gout at the start of the study. Over the next 22 years, 778 of the women were diagnosed with gout. Compared with women who consumed less than one serving of sugar-sweetened soda per month, those who consumed one serving per day were ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout
Painful Gout on the Rise in U.S.
Posted 7 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Nov. 7 – More and more Americans are struggling with gout as rates of the painful and sometimes disabling arthritic condition continue a decades-long upswing, a new study shows. Researchers report that by 2008, an estimated 8.3 million Americans were subject to gout attacks, equivalent to 3.9 percent of the U.S. adult population. That's a substantial rise from the 2.7 percent prevalence rate noted in the late 1980s to early 1990s. The findings are to be presented this week in Atlanta at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Other research presented at the meeting suggests that two of America's favorite beverages, coffee and sweetened drinks such as sodas, may contribute to gout risk. Gout is a very painful form of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid. This causes uric acid crystals to be deposited on the cartilage of joints, tendons and other ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout
FDA Approves Krystexxa (pegloticase) for Gout
Posted 16 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com
ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 14, 2010--The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Krystexxa (pegloticase) to treat the painful condition known as gout in adults who do not respond to or who cannot tolerate conventional therapy. Gout occurs due to an excess of the bodily waste uric acid, which is eventually deposited as needle-like crystals in the joints or in soft tissue. These crystals can cause intermittent swelling, redness, heat, pain and stiffness in the joints. Gout is strongly associated with obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, and occurs more often in men, in women after menopause, and in people with kidney disease. “About 3 percent of the three million adults who suffer from gout are not helped by conventional therapy. This new drug offers an important new option for them,” said Badrul Chowdhury, M.D., director of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout
FDA Approves Colcrys (colchicine, USP) for Prevention of Gout Flares
Posted 2 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
New Colchicine Formulation Significantly Reduces Side Effects, Maintains Full Efficacy; Now Indicated for Both Prophylaxis and Treatment of Gout Flares PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ – URL Pharma, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Colcrys (colchicine, USP) for the prophylaxis (prevention) of gout flares. Colcrys was first approved by the FDA on July 30, 2009 for the treatment of acute gout flares when taken at the first sign of a flare. Colcrys is an oral, branded form of colchicine that has been formulated for optimal efficacy and tolerability. It is the only single-ingredient colchicine to be approved by the FDA for the prophylaxis and treatment of gout flares. Colcrys provides a formulation with the efficacy of colchicine while avoiding most of the toxicity of the unapproved products historically on the market. Colcrys is also ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout, Colchicine, Gout -- Acute, Gout -- Prophylaxis
More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
Posted 9 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 9 – Consuming more vitamin C may help reduce a man's risk of gout, according to researchers who studied almost 47,000 men over a 20-year span. During that time, more than 1,300 of the men developed gout. Compared with those whose vitamin C intake through food and supplements was less than 250 milligrams a day, the risk for gout was 17 percent lower among men with a daily intake of 500 to 999 milligrams, 34 percent lower for those who took in 1,000 to 1,499 milligrams, and 45 percent lower with a daily intake of 1,500 milligrams or more. For every 500 mg increase in vitamin C intake, the risk for gout fell 17 percent, the researchers calculated. Risks were similar when comparing men who did and did not take supplements. Those who took 1,000 to 1,499 supplemental milligrams a day had a 34 percent lower risk of gout than men who did not take vitamin C supplements. The risk ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout, Gout -- Acute, Gout -- Prophylaxis, Ascor L 500
Uloric Approved for Gout
Posted 16 Feb 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 16 – Takeda Pharmaceuticals' Uloric (febuxostat) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat gout, a painful condition characterized by elevated levels of uric acid that can build up in the blood, joints and soft tissue. Uloric is the first new treatment option in more than four decades for gout, a chronic condition affecting more than 5 million Americans, the Japanese drug maker said in a news release. It's the most common inflammatory arthritis in men 40 and older. The FDA approved the drug in 40 mg. and 80 mg. strengths. Takeda initially requested approval for 80 mg. and 120 mg versions, but the agency was concerned about possible cardiovascular side effects stemming from the higher doses, the Bloomberg news service reported. Uloric was evaluated in clinical trials involving more than 4,000 people. The most common side effects reported were liver ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout, Gout -- Acute, Gout -- Prophylaxis
Drug Improves Outcomes for Gout Patients
Posted 26 Oct 2008 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Oct. 26 – The drug pegloticase (Puricase) may help gout patients who've had no luck with other treatments, according to researchers who studied 212 patients who'd run out of treatment options. They were randomly assigned to receive six months of intravenous treatment with either pegloticase or a placebo. One group of patients received 8 milligrams of pegloticase every two weeks, another group received 8 milligrams of pegloticase every four weeks, and a third group received the placebo. The patients – mostly men with an average age of 55 years – had a significantly better response to pegloticase than to the placebo. While there wasn't a significant difference in number of gout flares, more of the patients who took the drug had more complete resolution of tophi, which are chalky deposits or uric acid. The patients who took pegloticase also noticed improved physical function. ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout
New Drug Helps Relieve Gout
Posted 3 Sep 2008 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3 – An experimental gout drug called pegloticase lowered levels of uric acid in the blood to target levels within a few hours in most patients. That's the conclusion of a study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center and Savient Pharmaceuticals, the company that's developing the drug. The phase II clinical trial included 41 patients randomly selected to receive either four or eight milligrams of pegloticase every two weeks, or eight or 12 milligrams every four weeks, for a 12- or 14-week period. The treatment is an infusion that takes about two hours. Pegloticase normalized uric acid levels within six hours for participants in all dosage groups, and those levels were sustained throughout the treatment period in the two groups at the higher dosage levels. The most effective dose was found to be eight milligrams every two weeks, the study found. During ... Read more
Related support groups: Gout
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