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Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1998 Sep;57(9):545–549. doi: 10.1136/ard.57.9.545

Efficacy of allopurinol and benzbromarone for the control of hyperuricaemia. A pathogenic approach to the treatment of primary chronic gout

F Perez-Ruiz 1, A Alonso-Ruiz 1, M Calabozo 1, A Herrero-Beites 1, G Garcia-Erauskin 1, E Ruiz-Lucea 1
PMCID: PMC1752740  PMID: 9849314

Abstract

OBJECTIVES—To study the efficacy of allopurinol and benzbromarone to reduce serum urate concentrations in patients with primary chronic gout.
METHODS—Prospective, parallel, open study of 86 consecutive male patients with primary chronic gout. Forty nine patients (26 normal excretors and 23 under excretors) were given allopurinol 300 mg/day and 37 under excretors benzbromarone 100 mg/day. After achieving steady plasma urate concentrations with such doses, treatment was then adjusted to obtain optimal plasmatic urate concentrations (under 6 mg/dl).
RESULTS—Patients receiving allopurinol 300 mg/day showed a mean reduction of plasmatic urate of 2.75 mg/dl (from 8.60 to 5.85 mg/dl) and 3.34 mg/dl (from 9.10 to 5.76 mg/dl) in normal excretors and under excretors respectively. Patients receiving benzbromarone 100 mg/day achieved a reduction of plasmatic urate of 5.04 mg/dl (from 8.58 to 3.54 mg/dl). Fifty three per cent of patients receiving allopurinol and 100% receiving benzbromarone achieved optimal plasma urate concentrations at such doses. The patients with poor results with allopurinol 300 mg/day achieved a proper plasma urate concentration with allopurinol 450 to 600 mg/day, the mean final dose being 372 mg/day. Renal fuction improved and no case of renal lithiasis was observed among benzbromarone treated patients, whose mean final dose was 76 mg/day.
CONCLUSION—Benzbromarone is very effective to control plasma urate concentrations at doses ranging from 50 to 100 mg/day. Uricosuric treatment is a suitable approach to the treatment of patients with gout who show underexcretion of urate.

 Keywords: gout; gout suppressants; allopurinol; benzbromarone

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

Initial and final plasma urate (Pur) (fig 1A) and 24 hour urinary urate (24 h Uur) (fig 1B) after standard doses of urate lowering drugs (allopurinol 300 mg/day or benzbromarone 100 mg/day). Note that the mean initial 24 h Uur in normoexcretors is not different to the mean final 24 h Uur from underexcretors treated with benzbromarone. Bars indicate the mean and the 95% confidence limits.

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