A 46-year-old female patient consulted a doctor about pain in the small joints of the upper and lower limbs. The joints are enlarged and shaped like thickened nodes. Serum test revealed an increase in urate concentration. This might be caused by a disorder in metabolism of:

Answer options

1. Amino acids
2. Pyrimidines
3. Lipids
4. Carbohydrates
5. Purines

Explanation

his patient has gout which is caused by a disorder of purine metabolism because the end product of this metabolism is uric acid, so its disorder will lead to a uric acid increase. Uric acid in the form of urate will deposit in joints forming those nodules (also called “tophi”).