[Gout tophi and Heberden nodules in hyperuricemia].

The tophus is a characteristic and pathognomonic sign of chronic gout. Before effective drugs were available for the treatment of hyperuricaemia about 50-60% of patients with gout developed clinically and radiologically apparent urate crystal deposits. Clinical cutaneous manifestations of chronic gout are now rarely observed. However, the presence of degenerative tissues, as in idiopathic osteoarthritis of the fingers, may predispose to the deposition of urate crystals. We report on a patient with secondary--probably diuretic-induced--hyperuricaemia and gout tophiin Heberden's nodes.