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ObjectivesTo compare the effectiveness and safety of naproxen and low-dose colchicine for treating gout flares in primary care.MethodsThis was a multicentre open-label randomised trial. Adults with a gout flare recruited from 100 general practices were randomised equally to naproxen 750 mg immediately then 250 mg every 8 hours for 7 days or low-dose colchicine 500 mcg three times per day for 4 days. The primary outcome was change in worst pain intensity in the last 24 hours (0–10 Numeric Rating Scale) from baseline measured daily over the first 7 days: mean change from baseline was compared between groups over days 1–7 by intention to treat.ResultsBetween 29 January 2014 and 31 December 2015, we recruited 399 participants (naproxen n=200, colchicine n=199), of whom 349 (87.5%) completed primary outcome data at day 7. There was no significant between-group difference in average pain-change scores over days 1–7 (colchicine vs naproxen: mean difference −0.18; 95% CI −0.53 to 0.17; p=0.32). During days 1–7, diarrhoea (45.9% vs 20.0%; OR 3.31; 2.01 to 5.44) and headache (20.5% vs 10.7%; 1.92; 1.03 to 3.55) were more common in the colchicine group than the naproxen group but constipation was less common (4.8% vs 19.3%; 0.24; 0.11 to 0.54).ConclusionWe found no difference in pain intensity over 7 days between people with a gout flare randomised to either naproxen or low-dose colchicine. Naproxen caused fewer side effects supporting naproxen as first-line treatment for gout flares in primary care in the absence of contraindications.Trial registration numberISRCTN (69836939), clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01994226), EudraCT (2013-001354-95).

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis, affecting 1-2% of the population. Acute gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis and is characterised by the abrupt onset of severe joint pain (classically the first metatarsophalangeal joint), swelling, and erythema. The major risk factor is a raised serum urate concentration (hyperuricaemia), which results in the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in and around joints. Untreated, continuing crystal deposition can result in irreversible joint damage. Although effective treatments are available for acute and chronic gout, uptake is poor, and many patients experience repeated acute attacks and reduced quality of life. This clinical review summarises current evidence for the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic gout.

ObjectivesTo compare the clinical effectiveness of (1) physiotherapist-led exercise versus an exercise leaflet, and (2) ultrasound-guided subacromial corticosteroid injection versus unguided injection for pain and function in subacromial pain (formerly impingement) syndrome (SAPS).MethodsThis was a single-blind 2×2 factorial randomised trial. Adults with SAPS were randomised equally to one of four treatment groups: (1) ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection and physiotherapist-led exercise, (2) ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection and an exercise leaflet, (3) unguided corticosteroid injection and physiotherapist-led exercise and (4) unguided corticosteroid injection and an exercise leaflet. The primary outcome was the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), collected at 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months and compared at 6 weeks for the injection interventions and 6 months for the exercise interventions by intention to treat.ResultsWe recruited 256 participants (64 treatment per group). Response rates for the primary outcome were 94% at 6 weeks, 88% at 6 months and 80% at 12 months. Greater improvement in total SPADI score was seen with physiotherapist-led exercise than with the exercise leaflet at 6 months (adjusted mean difference −8.23; 95% CI −14.14 to -2.32). There were no significant differences between the injection groups at 6 weeks (−2.04; −7.29 to 3.22), 6 months (−2.36; −8.16 to 3.44) or 12 months (1.59; −5.54 to 8.72).ConclusionsIn patients with SAPS, physiotherapist-led exercise leads to greater improvements in pain and function than an exercise leaflet. Ultrasound guidance confers no additional benefit over unguided corticosteroid injection.Trial registration numberISRCTN42399123.

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In this study, patients with OSA continued to be at higher risk of developing gout beyond the first year following the diagnosis. Our results further indicate that peak incidences of gout vary according to BMI.

In this brief report, we used data from a series of three related cohorts on pain and osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, hand and foot, which were conducted in North Staffordshire, England. We used a common approach for sampling, data collection and coding, to estimate the relative prevalence of 10 different symptomatic radiographic OA subtypes in the knee, hand and foot and to compare their association with age, sex, socioeconomic position and body mass index.Overall, symptomatic hand OA was more common than knee or foot OA (22.4% vs 17.4% vs 16.5%), due mainly to the high prevalence of nodal interphalangeal joint OA among women. The first carpometacarpal joint OA was the most frequent subtype, with patellofemoral, tibiofemoral, (nodal) interphalangeal and midfoot OA also common. Of the risk factors examined, the greatest differences between subtypes appeared to be their associations with sex and obesity: sex differences were noticeably greater for all forms of hand OA except non-nodal interphalangeal joint OA, while obesity appeared most strongly associated with forms of knee OA. The prevalence of all subtypes was higher among older ages, and among those with lower educational attainment.