Which medication is mentioned as a corticosteroid for acute gout treatment?

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Prednisolone is recognized as a corticosteroid commonly used in the treatment of acute gout flares. Corticosteroids are effective in reducing inflammation and alleviating pain associated with acute gout attacks. They work by mimicking the effects of hormones your body produces naturally in the adrenal glands, which help to manage the immune response and reduce inflammatory processes.

In the context of acute gout treatment, when non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are contraindicated or not tolerated, corticosteroids like prednisolone provide an important alternative. They can be administered orally or injected directly into the inflamed joint, depending on the patient's specific situation and severity of the flare.

The other medications listed serve different purposes: Naproxen and Diclofenac are NSAIDs that help relieve pain and inflammation, but they do not have the same mechanism of action as corticosteroids. Celecoxib, also an NSAID, specifically inhibits COX-2 enzymes, which may provide pain relief but again, it does not act as a corticosteroid. Thus, prednisolone is the agent that directly addresses the inflammatory component of acute gout through corticosteroid action.

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