Elaine Kauschinger and Michael Zychowicz recently published an article entitled "Joint Clinical Consensus Statement of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons® and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners™: Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Consensus for Gouty Arthritis of the Foot and Ankle" in the Journal of Nurse Practitioners (JNP). Co-authors include Roya Mirmiran, Tom Bush, Michele Cerra, Sean Grambart and Melissa Younger.

Abstract

Gout is a condition that commonly affects the foot and ankle, and practitioners who treat these structures should be aware of the methods used to diagnose and treat this form of arthritis. Practitioners also need to recognize extra-articular manifestations of the disease. Although the acutely red, hot, swollen joint is a common presentation, chronic tophaceous gout can be associated with pain, nodule formation, and cutaneous compromise. Since the underlying causes that lead to excessive monosodium urate deposition may be treatable, early and accurate diagnosis has been very beneficial and may even prevent articular degeneration. In this clinical consensus statement, gout as it affects the foot and ankle is discussed.