The buildup of uric acid in your joints can lead to swollen growths under your skin called tophi. If left untreated, tophi can lead to loss of motion in your joints and other complications.

Patients with confirmed tophi and more frequent acute gout attacks had lower HRQOL, and the association between HRQOL, tophi and flares remained significant even after accounting for covariates.

The impairment of HRQOL in patients with gout increases with the presence of tophi and the frequency of flares, even after adjusting for covariates. Gout symptoms are also associated with greater ...