Chronic tophaceous gout presenting as acute arthritis during an acute illness: a case report

BACKGROUND Gout is a metabolic disease that can manifest as acute or chronic arthritis, and deposition of urate crystals in connective tissue and kidneys. It can either manifest as acute arthritis or chronic tophaceous gout. CASE PRESENTATION We present a 39-year-old male patient who developed acute arthritis during his hospital course. Later on, after a careful physical examination, patient was found to have chronic tophaceous gout. The acute episode was successfully treated with colchicines and indomethacin. CONCLUSION Gout usually flares up during an acute illness, and should be considered while evaluating acute mono articular arthritis. Rarely, it can also present with tophi as an initial manifestation.