Gout is a common form of arthritis. It causes severe pain attacks, which can be debilitating, as well as other symptoms such as swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints. Gout cannot be cured, but there are medications that help manage its symptoms and prevent complications.
Now scientists from the University of Edinburgh have successfully demonstrated that gout can be actually controlled with the help of a special app.
Gout is relatively common. It is a complex disease, caused by accumulation of urate crystals in a person’s joints. Gout can be and usually is extremely painful, and causes these severe pain attacks that can be debilitating. Gout usually affects a big toe, which means that during those pain attacks it can be difficult to walk or even stand. Medications exist, but treatments can only deal with severe symptoms (swelling, pain, etc.) and prevent further complications, which include destruction of the joint, nodules under the skin, kidney stones.
Scientists designed an app called GoutSMART, which can help people with gout manage their condition. They need to perform self-tests, which include finger pricking to measure urate levels. High levels of uric acid in the blood is a very significant risk factor of gout. Results are then put into the GoutSMART app and are communicated to health professionals, who can then provide treatment advice. The system is quite streamlined and gout patients can get very quick information about their treatment options.
Scientists launched a small study to test the GoutSMART app. 40 patients used the GoutSMART app and performed those self-tests. Meanwhile 20 patients didn’t use these advanced options and remained on their normal treatment plan. Scientists noticed that people in the self-management group reached normal urate target levels much more effectively (73 % compared to 15 % in the control group). Of course, larger studies would be needed before this app can be confirmed for clinical use.
Dr Philip Riches, one of the authors of the study, said: “Supporting patients to manage their own gout can transform clinical outcomes, and the approach we have developed offers a way of doing this without putting more pressure on an already stretched healthcare service.”
Gout is increasingly more common, because the population is having more of the risk factors, including obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Drugs that can prevent pain attacks in gout are quite cheap and easily available, but scientists estimate that half of people with gout never receive that kind of treatment. Self-managing gout symptoms could improve this situation dramatically and help patients restore their normal quality of life.
Source: University of Edinburgh
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