Publication Cover
Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings
The peer-reviewed journal of Baylor Scott & White Health
Volume 32, 2019 - Issue 1
38
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Case Studies

Diagnosing an ulcerated gouty tophus

, BS ORCID Icon, , MD ORCID Icon & , MD
Pages 96-98 | Received 23 Jun 2018, Accepted 02 Aug 2018, Published online: 27 Dec 2018
 

Abstract

We present the case of a 44-year-old man with a complicated past medical history who presented with presumed sepsis secondary to pneumonia and severe joint pain secondary to gout. Despite an entirely negative infectious workup during his lengthy hospitalization, he developed ulcerated, draining wounds on his hands and feet that were also initially presumed to be infectious. The chalky substance draining from the wounds was eventually evaluated with potassium hydroxide under polarized microscopy and found to have the characteristic negative birefringence of sodium urate crystals. He was treated with steroids after an infectious etiology had been ruled out, and he improved clinically once his uric acid levels began to fall.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 37.00 Add to cart

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.