| Sometimes the crystals form chalky splinters, or tophi, which may break through the skin. |
| Uric acid can form clumps called tophi, often in the tips of the ears, knuckles or within tendons and joints. |
| Chalky deposits called tophi may appear under the skin around joints and in the cartilage of the ears. |
| Joint damage in hyperuricemia causes classical attacks of gout but tophi may also develop in cartilage, tendons and other tissues. |
| Only a minority of patients with hyperuricemia develops tophi and gouty arthritis. |
| Patients with long-standing gout may have tophi over the olecranon prominence, first metatarsal joints, or pinnae. |
