Anakinra treatment in patients with gout and type 2 diabetes

We report three Caucasian patients affected by gout and type 2 diabetes, who were treated with the recombinant nonglycosylated human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist anakinra (100 mg/day subcutaneously) after an unsatisfactory or incomplete response to urate-lowering therapy, colchicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and prednisone. The remarkable clinical improvement in joint symptoms within 24 h and in glycemic control during a 6-month period gives anakinra a potential therapeutic role in the management of gout and type 2 diabetes. When anakinra was discontinued, a gout attack occurred within 3–25 days in all three patients. The contribution of anakinra in the treatment of such syndromes is encouraging, but requires further studies to establish its long-term efficacy.