Gout is the cause of acute arthritis common in the adult population.

-BioCruces Institute specialists investigated with two drugs to improve the treatment of this disease in these patients can not follow the usual procedures

-the objective of the project is to assess the effectiveness of both drugs or their combination for control of signs and symptoms of acute gout

– Is currently unknown what is the best alternative both efficacy and safety ”, says Dr. Fernando Pérez Ruiz, responsible of the Rheumatology unit of BioCruces and the project leader

Bilbao, August of 2011- the drop suffered by Kiko Rivera in a well-known television program did jump to the fore a disease that is more common than the people think. In fact, in Spain the suffering 1% of adults, a percentage which rises to 5% for those over 70 years. The drop is also the main cause of acute arthritis in the adult population.

This rheumatic disease caused by an accumulation of salts in urato (uric acid) in the body, is a treatment that is effective based on anti-inflammatory and colchicine. However, 20% of patients with acute gout can not receive this treatment because these drugs are contraindicated for his health, and currently there is no evidence of what is the best option for them.

This is why the BioCruces Institute has begun an investigation whose aim is to discover the best way to treat these patients who cannot receive treatment as usual pharmacologically. Therefore the group led by Dr. Fernando Pérez Ruiz of the Rheumatology service is comparing two medications (tetracosáctida and betamethasone) or their combination as a treatment dose in these patients, evaluating both its effectiveness and its security. Both drugs are old (more than 20 years in the market) and cheap (have a cost close to 1 euro), which makes it more difficult studies with them due to investment in logistics.

All published studies exclude this type of patients, which are not uncommon in routine medical practice and, even knowing they are effective, it is unknown if one or other, or their combination, are the best choice of treatment or there is no difference between them ”, explains Dr. Fernando Pérez.

The study, which aims to assess the efficacy of the drugs in controlling the signs and symptoms of acute gout, is being conducted with patients through various agencies. In addition to BioCruces, participating in the project hospitals La Paz, 12 October and Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona, the General Hospital of Castellon and researchers in the study group of arthritis Cristalinas in the society Spanish Rheumatology (GEACSER).

Thus, the principal investigators of the project are the Dres. Eugenio de Miguel (La Paz), Pilar Fernández Dapica (twelve in October), Mercedes Jiménez Palop (iron gate), Miquel Belmonte (Castellón), César Díaz Torné (Sant Pau) and Joana Atxotegi (crosses), under the overall coordination of Dr. Pérez. In fact, the Rheumatology service of the Hospital de Cruces has extensive experience in this field and is considered a landmark national and international, having published over 50 articles in international journals, with a cumulative impact exceeding 100 and some of them already referenced in the international texts, both medicine and Rheumatology.