Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018099 (gout)
 5,192 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Thiazide diuretics are efficacious, either as monotherapy or in combination with other antihypertensive drugs. They reduce blood pressure in a high percentage of hypertensive patients with minimal subjective side effects. There is increasing evidence that the use of diuretics, singly or in combination, will reduce morbidity and mortality associated with essential hypertension in both young and elderly subjects. Although diuretics may induce some changes in the plasma lipid profile, serum uric acid concentration and glucose metabolism, there is little evidence that these changes are of clinical significance. The increase in serum cholesterol concentration has rarely persisted in any trial beyond the first year of treatment. The incidence of diabetes mellitus in diuretic treated subjects is only about 1%, even when large doses are used. Gout may be precipitated in susceptible subjects, but is uncommon. For these reasons, diuretics should remain a preferred first-step drug of choice in the management of hypertension.
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PMID:Diuretics and cardiovascular risk factors. 148 10

Thiazide diuretics have been in use for over 30 years in the treatment of hypertension. Their action results in a reduction in peripheral resistance without a significant decrease in cardiac output or a major shift in plasma volume. They are as or more effective than any of the other antihypertensive agents when used as monotherapy and can serve as baseline therapy in combination with any of the available adrenergic, converting enzyme-inhibiting agents, or calcium-entry blockers. There is a high degree of patient acceptance; titration to an effective dosage is relatively easy; and cost, relatively low. Although certain undesirable metabolic changes may occur following the use of these agents, most of them are controllable, and there is no evidence to date that they offset the benefits achieved by blood pressure lowering. Asymptomatic elevated uric acids have not been shown to be of great significance. If gout occurs, it can be managed. Alterations in glucose metabolism may occur, and in some patients, it appears that blood glucose levels are elevated over time. This is not a desirable metabolic change, but is one of doubtful prognostic significance. Changes in lipids are generally short-term, and in the major clinical trials, lipid levels have not remained elevated with a continuation of diuretic therapy. Although diuretics produce hypokalemia in a fairly high percentage of patients, this is not generally severe (less than 3.3 mEq per liter) and usually does not produce symptoms. There is no firm evidence that the hypokalemia produced by diuretics predisposes the patient to severe arrhythmias or sudden death, although this point has been emphasized repeatedly in recent publications. Diuretics can usually be given without potassium-maintenance therapy. However, hypokalemia should be prevented in the elderly, in patients with ischemic heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy and those on digitalis, or with diabetes. We prefer potassium-sparing agents along with a diuretic over supplements to prevent hypokalemia; the number of pills is kept at a reasonable level, and cost is minimized. Physicians should continue to prescribe diuretics as first-step therapy in the majority of patients to maximize therapeutic outcome.
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PMID:Diuretics in the management of hypertension. 330 12

Thiazide diuretics are the preferred initial therapy in the majority of elderly hypertensive patients--based upon efficacy and long-term safety data. Alternative therapies may be used in subjects with persistent gout, impotence, fatigue, or electrolyte disturbances. In patients with ischemic heart disease and/or angina, beta adrenergic inhibitors or calcium entry blockers are acceptable initial therapy. Converting enzyme inhibitors may be especially useful in hypertensives with congestive heart failure. The combination of small dose diuretic therapy and one of the above alternative drugs has an important place in the treatment of the elderly hypertensive.
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PMID:Diuretics and alternative drugs in geriatric hypertension. 354 24

Thiazide induced metabolic effects reflected in serum and 24 h urine excretions were investigated in general practice in 48 recurrent urinary calcium stone formers on prophylaxis with 50 mg hydrochlorthiazide or placebo (average duration of treatment 3 years). After 10 months of treatment, there was a significantly greater decrease in urinary calcium excretion among patients receiving thiazide than in patients given placebo (p less than 0.05). There was a significant increase in urinary magnesium in the thiazide group (p = 0.02), while there was no significant alteration in urinary uric acid. An increase was observed in the 24 h urine volume of 400 ml in the placebo group in contrast to a decrease in the thiazide group. The effects on serum calcium, potassium and uric acid were in accordance with previous reports. Few and only mild side effects were observed except for one attack of gout. The necessity of having adequate control groups in such studies is emphasized.
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PMID:Metabolic effects of thiazide versus placebo in patients under long-term treatment for recurrent urolithiasis. 646 98

Thiazide diuretics and loop-diuretics, often used for treatment of hypertension, interfere with various metabolic reactions: An increase of uric acid in plasma is a regular finding, but gout will not be caused, an elevation of plasma lipoproteins has been observed but did not proceed to pathological values, in a number of patients blood glucose has been raised but without producing diabetes mellitus. In general, these metabolic interference are of minor pathological significance. Special treatment for these side-effects are needed in a few cases only. The indicated use of thiazide diuretics should not be disregarded because of their effects on regulatory mechanisms of metabolism.
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PMID:[Metabolic effects of diuretics (author's transl)]. 679 54

To investigate the occurrence of acute arthritis after stroke, we prospectively studied 111 patients presenting with their first stroke and no history of previous arthritis. Clinical, biochemical and serological assessment was complemented by brain CT scan; appropriate X-rays were taken of any inflamed joints and synovial fluid was collected and analysed. Those with aseptic arthritis were randomly chosen to receive either intra-articular steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Patients with significant renal impairment were excluded. Acute arthritis was observed within 8.34 (median) days, on the paretic side in 19 patients (10 crystal, 4 inflammatory osteoarthritis, 1 septic, 4 unexplained) and on the non-paretic side in 4 patients (1 inflammatory osteoarthritis, 1 septic, 2 unexplained). One patient had pseudogout affecting both sides. Thiazide therapy prior to the stroke was associated with gout in 3 patients. Hospital patients with arthritis had a longer median length of stay than those without (41 vs. 21 days: p = 0.01). Patients receiving intra-articular steroids recovered more rapidly than those treated with NSAIDs (p < 0.05). This prospective study demonstrates the occurrence of acute arthritis in paretic limbs after stroke. Physicians should be aware of this complication, and that administration of intra-articular steroids in aseptic cases speeds rehabilitation and recovery.
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PMID:The incidence of acute arthritis in stroke patients, and its impact on rehabilitation. 810 38

The safety and tolerability of antihypertensive therapies are an important clinical concern, because the demonstrated benefits of successful blood pressure-lowering depend on long-term compliance with pharmacologic treatments. Thiazide diuretics and beta blockers have been specifically recommended as preferred initial drug therapy by the Fifth Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-V), unless their use is contraindicated by concomitant disease, there is intolerance to these agents, or there is a specific indication for another drug class. These recommendations are a result of the lengthy clinical experience with these drugs and the results of long-term clinical trials that have demonstrated significant reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, data from these same clinical studies have also shown that diuretics (and beta blockers) can cause abnormalities in carbohydrate, electrolyte, and lipid metabolism and also may influence quality of life. The safety of diuretics was evaluated with regard to effects on carbohydrate, electrolyte, and lipid metabolism by seeking references from a MEDLINE search of documents published from 1966 to 1994 based on the search terms "hypertension," "human," and "hydrochlorothiazide" (HCTZ) dosed in a range of 12.5-25 mg daily. Two long-term clinical trials using low-dose (12.5-15 mg/day) chlorthalidone-the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) and the Treatment of Mild Hypertension Study (TOMHS)-were also included. During the course of treatment with HCTZ in these studies, serum potassium was reduced and uric acid was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Although low doses of HCTZ elevated serum glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, the magnitude of effect was small in most cases and was probably of no clinical significance. Other laboratory parameters were not adversely affected, and subjective reporting of clinical adverse events was generally lower with low-dose HCTZ than with placebo or standard HCTZ dosing. The literature on the effects of low-dose diuretic therapy on quality of life is not large, although the results from the SHEP and TOMHS studies support the concept that diuretics either do not interfere with, or may actually improve, quality of life in hypertensive patients. Low-dose thiazide treatment is a well-tolerated, excellent first-line choice for hypertensive patients, especially older patients. However, diuretics should probably be avoided, whenever possible, in patients with preexisting diabetes, gout, and in men with erectile dysfunction.
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PMID:Tolerability, safety, and quality of life and hypertensive therapy: the case for low-dose diuretics. 887 78

The chief dangers reported with some common drugs are reviewed. Hazards of antibiotic therapy include: the increasing incidence of sensitization to penicillin with occasional anaphylactic reactions; aplastic anemia with chloramphenicol, and the poor tolerance of infants for chloramphenicol; staphylococcal enterocolitis; unnecessary "prophylactic" use of antibiotics. Thiazide diuretics may precipitate potassium depletion, skin reactions, pancreatitis, blood dyscrasias, gout, diabetes mellitus and hepatic coma. Reserpine can increase gastric acidity, induce mental depression, and when used with digitalis lead to ventricular premature beats. Hydralazine may aggravate angina pectoris, cause tachycardia, and bring about a syndrome resembling disseminated lupus erythematosus. Guanethidine may result in loose stools, impotence, and postural hypotension. Hazards of phenothiazines include jaundice, parkinsonian states and tremors, convulsions, hypotension, and blood dyscrasias. The butanediols have numerous side effects including gastrointestinal, cutaneous and hypotensive reactions. Prolonged corticosteroid therapy introduces a new danger in surgical treatment. The progesterone-like drugs may induce masculinization of the female fetus.
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PMID:Dangers in the use of some potent drugs. 1398 37