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Objective: Withdrawal of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) is associated with recurrence of acute gouty arthritis and tophi, but no data are available about factors associated with recurrence of gouty symptoms. Therefore, life-long therapy prescription is usually advised, but the prospect of life-long therapy may contribute to very low compliance rates. Our objective was to ascertain the outcome of ULT withdrawal after long-term, documented control of serum urate levels., Methods: We conducted a prospective, long-term, followup study of patients treated with ULT during a 5-year period. Both diagnosis and recurrence of gout were determined based on monosodium urate crystal identification in synovial fluid or material aspirated from tophi., Results: Low average serum urate levels while receiving ULT and during the followup period after ULT withdrawal were statistically associated with the longest period in which patients were free of gouty symptoms, suggesting that depletion and formation of the body's urate pool is dependent on both time and serum urate levels. Patients whose average serum urate levels were <5.05 mg/dl while receiving ULT and <8.75 mg/dl after ULT withdrawal had the longest (>4 years) time to recurrence., Conclusion: Proper and long-term reduction of serum urate level is associated with long-term periods in which patients are free of gouty symptoms, probably due to the reduction of the urate pool. These results suggest that 5-year intermittent, instead of life-long, ULT could be offered to patients with good serum urate control during ULT.

Objective: The optimal serum urate levels necessary for elimination of tissue deposits of monosodium urate in patients with chronic gout is controversial. This observational, prospective study evaluates the relationship between serum urate levels during therapy and the velocity of reduction of tophi in patients with chronic tophaceous gout., Method: Sixty-three patients with crystal-confirmed tophaceous gout were treated with allopurinol, benzbromarone, or combined therapy to achieve serum uric acid levels less than the threshold for saturation of urate in tissues. The tophi targeted for evaluation during followup were the largest in diameter found during physical examination., Results: Patients taking benzbromarone alone or combined allopurinol and benzbromarone therapy achieved faster velocity of reduction of tophi than patients taking allopurinol alone. The velocity of tophi reduction was linearly related to the mean serum urate level during therapy. The lower the serum urate levels, the faster the velocity of tophi reduction., Conclusion: Serum urate levels should be lowered enough to promote dissolution of urate deposits in patients with tophaceous gout. Allopurinol and benzbromarone are equally effective when optimal serum urate levels are achieved during therapy. Combined therapy may be useful in patients who do not show enough reduction in serum urate levels with single-drug therapy.