Allopurinol is a drug that works to reduce uric acid levels in the blood, thereby helping to treat gout, especially chronic gout and related diseases caused by hyperuricemia.

Gout is a complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone at any age. However, it is most common in men and postmenopausal women. According to statistics, gout affects nearly 4% of American adults.

The gold standard for diagnosing gout is finding urate crystals in joint fluid or tophi. Treatment of gout is based on two main strategies: controlling inflammation caused by gout, reducing pain and lowering blood uric acid, avoiding the formation of new urate crystals causing acute gout.