In simple words: Chronic gout is a type of arthritis that causes painful swelling in your joints because of too much uric acid in your body. This specific code means you have long-term gout, but don't have lumps of uric acid under your skin (called tophi).

Idiopathic chronic gout is a form of arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of joint pain and inflammation due to the deposition of urate crystals in the joints and surrounding tissues. This occurs as a result of hyperuricemia (elevated uric acid levels in the blood)."Without tophi" indicates the absence of visible or palpable nodules of urate crystals under the skin.

Example 1: A 55-year-old male presents with recurrent episodes of severe pain and swelling in his right big toe, consistent with chronic gout. He has no tophi. Laboratory tests confirm hyperuricemia. Code: M1A.0, A 60-year-old female experiences chronic joint pain in her left knee and ankle, diagnosed as chronic gout based on clinical findings and elevated uric acid. She does not have any tophi. Code: M1A.0, A 45-year-old male with a history of gout experiences a flare-up in his right wrist.Upon examination, no tophi are observed.He reports ongoing chronic pain and stiffness in the wrist between acute attacks. Code: M1A.0

Documentation should include details of the patient's history, physical examination findings (joint swelling, redness, tenderness), laboratory results confirming hyperuricemia, imaging reports, and the absence of tophi.

** The code M1A.0 specifies chronic gout *without* tophi. If tophi are present, use code M1A.1.