Gout Arthritis Progression in Treatment with Herbal Therapy: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Gout is a common arthritis condition due to deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) and is closely related to hyperuricemia. The goal of gout treatment in the acute stage of gouty arthritis mainly focuses on relieving pain while slowing down or stopping progression and further gout flares in the chronic stage, ultimately improving joint function, and increasing the quality of life. Materials and Methods: A literature search was carried out to determine potential studies for this review up to November 2022. The search was performed using the PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases including keywords that matched the MeSH rule and the term used for herbal therapy and gout arthritis. Results: The search strategy generated several diverse literatures presenting a variety of randomized control trial of herbal therapy in gout arthritis patient. A total of eight studies were included in the review. Satisfactory pain relieve and decreasing of serum uric acid level were found in most of the studies. Decreasing of serum uric acid level statistically significantly found in six of the eight studies studied. Furthermore, significant fewer incident of adverse event found in four studies. Conclusion: Herbal therapy or medication are potentially more effective than western medications or placebos at slowing the progression of pain, lowering blood uric acid levels, and preventing some adverse events in gout patients. Keywords: Arthritis, gout, herbal therapy, progression, uric acid level.