Our Comment:
If subjects with mild hyperuricemia and infrequent gout seizures are not treated (which is absolutely justifiable), there remain very few people in the general practice that have to be prescribed allopurinol. In the long run, a daily dose of 100 mg is often sufficient, a fact that is not surprising considering the kinetics of oxypurinol. Allopurinol appears to have the capacity to bind unmistakably free radicals; however, it is not clear yet if this characteristic has any clinical value.