AB1077 The spread of tophaceous disease strongly predicts time to new flare in gouty arthritis

Background In gouty arthritis (GA) elevated serum urate (SU) levels lead to the monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposition (tophi) in cartilage, tendon sheaths, and subcutaneous tissue. This usually appears late in the disease course and indicates disease severity. However, currently there is no quantitative measure to differentiate severe from less severe GA patients using spread of tophaceous disease. Objectives To develop a quantitative measure of GA severity by the number of tophi locations. Methods Pooled analysis of two 12-week studies (β-RELIEVED, N=230; β-RELIEVED II, N=226) followed by 12-week extensions, demonstrated a significant reduction in time to new flare in patients treated with canakinumab 150 mg s.c. vs. triamcinolone acetonide (TA) 40 mg i.m. (p