THE CO-EXISTENCE OF GOUTY ARTHRITIS IN SLE

Gouty arthritis is visualized to be very rare in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. This is because only a few sporadic cases have been reported in literature studies. In our hospital only two cases with SLE and co-existent gouty arthritis were reported last year. This study analyzed the clinical and laboratory parameters of SLE patients with and without arthritis and compared them with healthy controls. Comparatively higher level of uric acid is identified in SLE patients with arthritis (p less than 0.05). The patients also have worsened renal function. Although the uric acid levels are higher in lupus arthritis patients, the incidence of gout is very low in SLE. The rarity of association can be due to the clinical difficulties in differentiating acute gouty arthritis from active lupus arthritis. Hence, Gouty arthritis should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with SLE associated active arthritis as the treatment for the two conditions differs significantly.