Compliance with allopurinol therapy among managed care enrollees with gout: a retrospective analysis of administrative claims.

Compliance with allopurinol in this population was low. Because untreated gouty arthritis can lead to serious adverse outcomes (such as recurrent gouty arthritis, chronic gouty arthropathy, tophi, and urolithiasis) that are usually avoidable with antihyperuricemic therapy, efforts to achieve better compliance are warranted.