Does prolonged systemic glucocorticoid use increase risk of tophus formation among gouty arthritis patients?
Patients with equivalent prednisone intake of at least 15 mg/week for>or = 3 months is associated with tophi formation. In the presence of hypertension, renal impairment, and elevated serum creatinine level, use of steroids confounds the individual risk that each factor carries.
The data demonstrate that chronic monocyte activation predisposes subjects to thrombosis and hemorrhage via an exaggerated release of proinflammatory cytokines.