IntroductionThe prevalence of urate crystals in residual tissue samples from coronary arteries, aortic valves and prostate glands was assessed.MethodsAlcohol-fixed coronary arteries from 55 explanted hearts, alcohol-fixed aortic valves collected from 75 valve replacement surgeries and 40 frozen, unfixed prostate specimens resected during cancer surgery were examined for birefringent crystals with polarising microscopy.ResultsIn the 55 explanted hearts, 6 (10.9%) contained a coronary artery with birefringent crystals. One of the 75 aortic valves (1.4%) contained negatively and positively birefringent crystals. Nineteen of the 40 (47.5%) prostates contained birefringent crystals.ConclusionsWe found that a remarkable percentage of coronary arteries and prostate specimens contained birefringent crystals. Crystal presence is an obvious prerequisite for possible crystal induced-inflammation in these tissues, just as similar crystals elicit a gouty inflammatory cascade in synovial joints. Further studies are necessary to determine whether urate crystals may play this role in these tissues and, if so, to establish whether urate-lowering therapy may be beneficial in prostatitis and coronary disease.

This project will lead to the development of practical criteria to aid in the diagnosis and appropriate clinical care of patients with chronic inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions.

Rheumatologists are trained to determine the presence of musculoskeletal inflammation through history, physical examination, and if needed, laboratory tests and imaging. However, primary care clinicians, dermatologists, surgeons, and others who may initially see patients with musculoskeletal pain are not necessarily able to make the distinction between inflammatory (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis) and noninflammatory disease (osteoarthritis, traumatic or degenerative tendonitis, back pain, or fibromyalgia). If such clinicians could more readily suspect and identify possible inflammatory musculoskeletal disease, it would lead to more timely diagnosis and triage to rheumatologists for diagnosis and appropriate management. The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) has been developing evidence-based, practical and reliable criteria that can be used by clinicians to identify inflammatory musculoskeletal disease. The research initiative involves a sequential process of expert clinician nominal group technique, patient focus groups, and Delphi exercises to identify core definitive features of inflammatory disease. The goal is to develop simple clinical criteria (history and physical examination elements) to identify inflammatory arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis, and spondylitis and distinguish these from degenerative, mechanical, or other forms of these conditions, to achieve more timely and accurate diagnosis and referral of patients with inflammatory arthritis.

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