DUBLIN, Ireland, May 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Horizon Pharma plc (NASDAQ: HZNP ) today marked Gout Awareness Day with the launch of Gout Revealed , which was created to spotlight real-life stories of people living with uncontrolled gout, a painful and debilitating inflammatory form of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the blood that continues despite the use of oral medicines. The site features people sharing their experiences with the disease – from the impact of the pain and the moments of life missed, to finally speaking with a gout specialist to help manage their condition. Also, people living with uncontrolled gout have the opportunity to share their own story through the website, which will be updated throughout the year to help educate others.
“Living with gout can be very isolating; you find yourself not wanting to go to the movies, or to go out to dinner because of the pain,” explained Lex L., who lives with uncontrolled gout and is sharing her story on Gout Revealed . “By sharing my experience, I hope others will better understand what it’s really like to be affected by such intense pain and how important it is to speak to a specialist. No one should feel alone and miss out on important moments in their lives, the way I did.”
Gout is typically classified as being uncontrolled when a person continues to have symptoms despite the use of oral medicines. Symptoms of uncontrolled gout can include uric acid levels at or above 6 mg/dL, 1 multiple episodes of swelling and tenderness, often called gout flares, 2 per year, visible tophi -- which look like lumps under the skin 3 -- and pain that continues between flares. 4
Horizon Pharma is highlighting stories of people living with this painful and often debilitating condition in an effort to increase the collective understanding of gout as a chronic, systemic disease. Gout is one of the most under recognized and undertreated diseases, and has been shown to have a tremendous impact on a person’s daily life. The personal stories on Gout Revealed aim to empower and encourage others to recognize life’s moments that they may be missing because of gout and to take action by talking to a gout specialist – often a rheumatologist.
“It is important to recognize that patients with uncontrolled gout, a chronic progressive disease, have persistently elevated uric acid levels with signs and symptoms that include frequent painful flares, tophi, and often associated bone erosions,” said Jeffrey Kent, M.D., senior vice president, medical affairs and outcomes research, Horizon Pharma plc. “Gout flares are intensely painful and difficult to fully appreciate unless one suffers from the disease. These personal stories help to illustrate the emotional and physical impact for those living with uncontrolled gout.”
About Horizon Pharma plc Horizon Pharma plc is focused on researching, developing and commercializing innovative medicines that address unmet treatment needs for rare and rheumatic diseases. By fostering a growing pipeline of medicines in development and exploring all potential uses for currently marketed medicines, we strive to make a powerful difference for patients, their caregivers and physicians. For us, it’s personal: by living up to our own potential, we are helping others live up to theirs. For more information, please visit www.horizonpharma.com . Follow @HZNPplc on Twitter, like us on Facebook or explore career opportunities on LinkedIn .
Contacts: U.S. Media Contact: Amanda Phraner Senior Manager, Public Relations and Social Media media@horizonpharma.com
Ireland Media Contact: Ray Gordon Gordon MRM ray@gordonmrm.ie Source: Horizon Pharma plc
1 Khanna, et al, 2012 American College of Rheumatology Guidelines for the Management of Gout, Part. 1. Arthritis Care & Research Vol. 64, No. 10, October 2012, pp 1431–1446.
2 Aaron T. Eggebeen. American Family Physician. Gout: An Update. 2007 Sep 15;76(6):801-808.
3 Disease and Conditions : Gout. American College of Rheumatology. Accessed Dec. 7, 2017
4 What is Gout? The Arthritis Foundation. Accessed June 1, 2017.
