One person in four in the industrialized countries suffers
from hyperuricemia and is therefore at risk of developing
gouty arthritis, nephrolithiasis, or any of the other
consequences of urate deposition.
At present, far too little is known about urate deposition
and the mechanisms by which it occurs, as well as about its
clinical consequences, which include formation of toph; over
the helix of the ear or in bones close to joints that have
never exhibited an attack, development of bursitis, chronic
tendovaginitis leading to carpal tunnel syndrome, and gouty
paraplegia. Information on these matters is needed to
estimate the risks of hyperuricemia and to determine when
therapeutic intervention is indicated. The contributions and
discussions in this book, resulting from an international
symposium held in December 1990 in the Medizinische
Poliklinik in Munich, provide an up-to-date source of
current knowledge about hyperuricemia in man and its
clinical consequences.