Background: Gouty panniculitis is a very rare disease. To date, only eight patients have been reported. In each case, time to diagnosis was lengthy. We describe a 68-year-old man with a 6-month history of tender, erythematous plaques and nodules involving the anterior aspects of the legs.
Methods and results: Histologic examination led to the diagnosis of gouty panniculitis.
Conclusion: Review of the literature and the present case suggests that hyperuricemia is a necessary but probably not sufficient condition for gouty panniculitis. Why gouty panniculitis very seldom arises as a manifestation of gout is puzzling. In almost all reported patients, uricostatic or uricosuric therapy leads to clinical improvement of the disease.