Abdul Abdellatif, MD: Preventing Gout Complications Through Awareness and Early Intervention
Abdul Abdellatif, MD, emphasizes the importance of early gout screening, educating patients about treatment, and reducing stigma around the condition.
By
Lana Pine
| Published on November 7, 2024
5 min read
Gout is a chronic condition, and patients need to understand the treatment process. Educating patients about the importance of treatment is essential to help them stay consistent and achieve control over the disease. Early intervention can prevent significant progression and improve quality of life.
At the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2024 in San Diego, California, Abdul Abdellatif, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and chief of nephrology at CLS Health in Texas, explains what patients and their providers need to know about gout and how to help reduce the stigma associated with the condition.
For clinicians, Abdellatif says it is crucial to screen your patients for gout, especially when they present with joint pain. Don’t automatically assume it’s osteoarthritis or another type of arthritis—gout is actually the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, surpassing rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
For patients, he encourages them to not hesitate to tell your doctors if you have gout. He emphasizes that the condition is not their fault, and it’s not simply due to diet. Gout requires medical treatment, and without proper care, it can lead to serious complications, including joint damage and potential disability in the future. Unfortunately, a stigma exists that leads many patients to feel responsible for their condition, so they often avoid discussing it with their healthcare providers.
It's also important to note that uric acid levels, which are critical for diagnosing gout, are not typically included in routine blood tests. You could have been living with gout for years without knowing. For example, he recently saw a younger patient with advanced tophaceous gout—an outcome of years without proper intervention. This progression to disability at such a young age is tragic, he says, especially since gout can be effectively managed when treated early.
