How to dissolve tophi

Most people will encounter diseases to a greater or lesser extent in their lives. One of these diseases is tophi, which is a crystal formed by the accumulation of sodium glutamate and urate under the skin. This disease can cause great pain to patients. Many people want to find the right way to treat tophi. So, how to dissolve tophi?

First, how to dissolve tophi? Strict dietary control can only reduce the blood uric acid level by 1~2mg/dl (1mg/dl=59.5μmol/L). Currently, the main treatment methods include dissolving and excreting urate, uric acid-lowering drugs and surgery. Alkalinization of urine Alkalinization of urine is beneficial to the dissolution and excretion of urate, and is especially important for preventing uric acid kidney stones and gouty nephropathy. Including eating more alkaline foods and using alkaline drugs rationally. Maintaining pH 6.2~6.8 is conducive to crystal removal. Uric acid-lowering drugs are generally used in the following situations: patients with acute gouty arthritis that occurs more than 2 to 3 times a year, those with tophi, kidney damage, or those with significantly elevated blood uric acid levels >9 mg/dl (535 μmol/L) despite dietary control, and those with a family history of gout. Currently, Febuxostat and Ligacil are the main drugs for lowering uric acid and reducing tophi. Keeping uric acid below 300 μmol/L can reduce tophi.

Second, surgical treatment. Surgical removal of tophi cannot cure tophi. Surgical treatment is only used for patients whose tophi affect joint function, compress nerves, and affect organ function. It can remove necrotic fingers (toes) eroded by urate or correct deformed joints; remove huge tophi to reduce the burden on the kidneys. Surgery should be performed after the blood uric acid level returns to normal. To prevent surgery from inducing acute gouty arthritis, it is best to take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs within 1 week before and after surgery.

How to dissolve tophi? Gout patients are well aware that tophi can be dissolved under high temperature conditions. Tophi are formed because the uric acid value is higher than a certain value and exceeds the saturation of blood dissolution, which will form solid monosodium urate and flow with the blood. Under the action of gravity, it passes through the blood vessel walls and is deposited in the joints. If the uric acid value is higher than 420, even if some urate crystals are dissolved, they can only remain in place, and the crystal dissolution pain caused by the crystal dissolution process is relatively strong. However, this method is suitable for patients with low blood uric acid levels to dissolve crystals.