Photo Credit: Mykola Churpita
The following is a summary of “Analysis of Gout Remission Definitions in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Colchicine Prophylaxis for People With Gout Initiating Allopurinol,” published in the August 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Tabi-Amponsah et al.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to examine colchicine’s effect on gout remission during urate-lowering therapy (ULT) initiation and to assess patients’ illness perceptions using 2 remission definitions.
They analyzed data from a 12-month, double-blind trial with 200 gout patients starting allopurinol, randomly assigned to 0.5 mg daily colchicine or placebo for 6 months, plus 6 months of follow-up. Remission was assessed using the 2016 preliminary or simplified definition (without patient-reported outcomes), with illness perceptions measured by the gout-specific Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire.
The results showed that in the first 6 months, few participants were in remission by either the 2016 preliminary (3% colchicine, 4% placebo) or simplified definition (7% colchicine, 12% placebo). In the second 6 months, after stopping colchicine or placebo, remission was lower in the colchicine group than placebo by the 2016 definition (4% vs 14%, P = 0.03) and simplified definition (14% vs 28%, P = 0.02). Participants in remission with either definition reported more favorable perceptions of symptoms, concerns, and consequences, especially with the simplified definition.
The study concluded that 6 months of colchicine prophylaxis during ULT initiation does not enhance gout remission, though patients meeting remission criteria reported fewer symptoms, less concern, and, with the simplified definition, reduced gout impact.
Source: jrheum.org/content/early/2024/08/24/jrheum.2024-0400
