Gout is in need of a rebrand and should be called urate crystal arthritis instead to correct the misconception that it’s a lifestyle disease caused by excessive drinking and eating, Australian researchers say

Renaming the illness to more accurately reflect its status as a form of inflammatory arthritis could help patients adhere to medications and encourage them to seek treatment earlier, say the authors led by Professor Richard Day a rheumatologist at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.

Gout was described as far back as 400BC, they write in Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science.

“Over the years it gained the moniker ‘disease of kings’ due to its association with alcohol and rich foods,” the authors say.