PHAR 200 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Tumor Lysis Syndrome, Thiazide, Aspirin
Document Summary
Gout is caused by an abnormality in uric acid metabolism. Uric acid is a waste product of the breakdown of purines contained in the dna of degraded body cells and dietary protein. Uric acid is water soluble and excreted primarily by the kidneys. The solubility of uric acid depends on concentration and temperature. At high serum concentrations, lower body temperature causes the precipitation of monosodium urate (msu) crystals. Collections of these crystals (called microtophi) can form in joint spaces in the distal extremities. Gout results from deposition of uric acid crystals in joint spaces, leading to an inflammatory reaction that causes intense pain, erythema, and joint swelling. Free urate crystals can activate several pro-inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor (tnf- ), interleukin 1 (il- Activation of these mediators signals chemotactic movement of neutrophils into the joint space that (cid:862)ingest(cid:863) m u crystals via phagocytosis.
