Screening joint US in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia to search for uric acid deposits

Should patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia undergo screening joint ultrasonography to search for uric acid deposits?

George Nuki: I do not think at the moment that is really indicated. What I think is indicated is if you see somebody either presenting with gout or with asymptomatic hyperuricemia, that should be a red flag for looking at cardiovascular risk altogether. Whether hyperuricemia is the most important cardiovascular risk is not proven and is uncertain. But if you then detect that the patient has diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, if he or she is a smoker, you should do something about that.