TY - JOUR T1 - Axial Gout: Cinderella of Gouty Arthropathy! JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1314 LP - 1316 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.120375 VL - 39 IS - 7 AU - LESLEY A. SAKETKOO AU - IGNACIO GARCIA-VALLADARES AU - LUIS R. ESPINOZA Y1 - 2012/07/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/7/1314.abstract N2 - Gout and hyperuricemia are among the most important and common inflammatory-metabolic disorders, with treatment implications beyond the care of inflamed joints. Gout affects 1% to 2% of the population, and recent findings from nationally representative samples of adults in the US general population suggest that the prevalence of both gout and hyperuricemia remains substantial and may have increased over the past 20 years1. Better recognition of risk factors has also contributed to this increased incidence and prevalence, including the presence of comorbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome2. In addition, its clinical spectrum continues to expand, with recent descriptions of unusual clinical forms such as bone fracture, panniculitis, and axial or spondylitic involvement3,4.Since 2009, when the last systematic review of axial gout cataloged 125 cases of gout5, there have been over 25 publications. Published cases mainly coalesce around the progression of inflammatory back pain to catastrophic neurological involvement6,7,8. Although these cautionary cases of axial involvement are likely rare, there is clearly interest and concern across specialties regarding the need for carefully constructed collective investigations to elucidate the contribution of axial gouty arthropathy.In this issue of The Journal, Konatalapalli, et al provide an enticement to further investigate the prevalence and potential … Address correspondence to Dr. L. Espinoza, Department of Medicine, LSU Health Sciences Center, 1542 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112-2822, USA. E-mail: lespin1{at}lsuhsc.edu ER -