Question:

Gout is a disorder of:

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Uric acid is the end product of purine breakdown, and allopurinol acts in that same pathway.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Purine metabolism
  • Pyrimidine metabolism
  • Ketone metabolism
  • Protein metabolism
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Gout is caused by raised uric acid in the blood (hyperuricaemia), which leads to deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints and tissues.
Step 2: Uric acid is the end product of purine breakdown. Purines (adenine and guanine) are degraded to hypoxanthine and xanthine, and then xanthine oxidase converts xanthine to uric acid.
Step 3: So gout is fundamentally a disorder of purine metabolism, where either overproduction or underexcretion of uric acid raises the urate pool. This makes option A correct. It is also why allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, treats gout by blocking the final step of purine catabolism.
Step 4: Why the others are wrong. Option B, pyrimidine metabolism, produces beta-alanine, ammonia, and carbon dioxide, not uric acid, so it is not the source of gout. Option C, ketone metabolism, relates to fat breakdown and diabetic ketoacidosis, not urate. Option D, protein metabolism, deals with amino acids and urea, not the purine to uric acid pathway.
Answer: Option A.
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