Interested in gout

Although there are competing theories about how the
immune sytem is alerted and there is some dispute as
to the chemicals involved in such signaling, it is now
believed that uric acid plays a major role in alerting
the immune system to danger.
The view of the immune system as 'self versus nonself'
is rather archaic and childish; it is more a 'threat
detection and assessment' system wherein one factor to
be assessed is 'self versus nonself'.
The two theories are often viewed as 'stranger' theory
versus 'danger theory'. While the immune system is
sometimes viewed as detecting alien chemicals
indicative of microbial invaders, it is also viewed as
detecting chemicals that indicate danger such as cell
distress and distruction signals.
Uric acid seems to be the primary immune system
'alarm' chemical. Obviously the level of uric acid
seems to play a role but it is the crystal form which
would be brought about by localized cell death that
seems to be the signal for the immune system.
This makes the urate crystals in gout of even greater
significance and also shows an even greater
significance to the the gout:mycology theory.