[Conventional treatment of gout].

Gout is a severely disabling disorder, leading to poor quality of life, functional impairment with repercussion on physical activity, social functioning and emotional health. On the other hand, gout is probably the best understood and most manageable of all common systemic rheumatic diseases. The treatment of gout is appropriately divided into treatment of the acute attack and prevention of further attacks and of joint damage. Standard management of acute attacks of gout consists of rest, application of ice to the affected joint, and prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or glucocorticoids which should be started immediately to be most effective. Colchicin and interleukin-1 inhibitors can be used as alternative, when are indicated and available. Urate lowering therapy (usually alopurinol) is indicated to treat recurrent gout attacks, chronic arthropathy, tophi and uric acid renal lithiasis.