The year in gout: 2012-2013 - a walk through the 2012 ACR Gout Treatment Guidelines

Abstract

In 2012 the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) established its first-ever gout treatment guidelines. These guidelines address whom to treat, how to treat, and lifestyle and medication changes to make when treating patients with gout. In this manuscript, we review the ACR guidelines, with special attention to the issues of treating to target, and when and how to prevent attacks during urate- lowering therapy. Given that the quality of gout treatment in the USA is often suboptimal poor, these guidelines have the potential to improve the health of millions of gout sufferers in the USA and around the world.