Vnitr Lek 2026, 72(5):E11-E20 | DOI: 10.36290/vnl.2026.062

Gouty arthritis: current insights into diagnosis and treatment

Stela Kašperová¹, Lenka Tarabčáková^{2, 3}, Daniela Šutovská¹, Emőke Šteňová¹

¹ I. interná klinika Lekárskej fakulty Univerzity Komenského v Bratislave a Univerzitnej nemocnice v Bratislave

² Klinika vnútorného lekárstva, Lekárska fakulta, Slovenská zdravotnícka univerzita

³ Univerzitná nemocnica sv. Michala, Bratislava

Gout is a crystal-induced arthritis and represents the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in adulthood. The clinical course of the disease includes acute flares alternating with asymptomatic intercritical periods and, in the case of long-term untreated hyperuricaemia, it may progress to a chronic tophaceous form. A typical feature of an acute gout flare is the rapid onset of inflammatory activity within a few hours, which helps to distinguish gout from other forms of arthritis. Despite the fact that the "disease of kings" is well-known and a treatment is commonly available, it remains frequently underdiagnosed, and its management in clinical practice is often suboptimal. Moreover, the prevalence of the disease has increased worldwide over recent decades, which has aroused interest in a better understanding of its etiopathogenesis and its association with cardiometabolic comorbidities. The aim of this review article is to provide current knowledge on the pathogenesis, comorbidities, and therapeutic options in gout.

Keywords: gout, hyperuricaemia, NLRP3 inflammasome, cardiovascular comorbidities, colchicine.

Accepted: August 20, 2026; Published: August 27, 2026  Show citation