Japanese guideline for the management of hyperuricemia and gout: second edition.

Gout is a urate deposition disease caused by persistent hyperuricemia. Because gout patients present with a variety of clinical symptoms, it is necessary to have a guideline for the standard management and care of gout and hyperuricemia. The Japanese Society of Gout and Nucleic Acid Metabolism, a scientific society committed to study nucleic acid metabolism and related diseases, established the first edition of the "Guideline for the Management of Hyperuricemia and Gout" in 2002, and published the revised version in January 2010. This second edition is not only evidence based on a search of systemic literature, but also includes consensus levels by a Delphi exercise to determine the strength of the recommendations. A draft version of this guideline was reviewed by internal and external reviewers as well as a patient. In this guideline, key messages from each chapter are listed as statements together with the evidence level, consensus level, and strength of the recommendation. In this proceeding, several selected chapters on the clinical management of gout and hyperuricemia are described. We hope this guideline is appropriately used for the standard management and care of patients with hyperuricemia and gout in daily practice.