Papers of the Week

Gout is a common disorder of uric acid metabolism that leads to the precipitation of monosodium urate crystals. It most commonly affects the first metatarsophalangeal joint but can also affect other joints such as knees, elbows, wrists, and ankles. Chronic gout can present as recurrent episodes of monoarticular or polyarticular inflammatory arthritis, tophaceous soft tissue deposits of monosodium urate crystals, uric acid renal calculi, and/or chronic nephropathy.