In France, unlike other countries, the use of colchicine is preferred to other anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of gout.
We report a case series of four elderly patients (range from 72 to 83 years of age) who presented with colchicine intoxication, all notified to the Basse-Normandie pharmacovigilance centre in 2007. For each patient, one or more risk factors were identified: renal failure, high initial dosage, absence of laboratory monitoring.
It would be useful to establish specific guidelines for colchicine use in the elderly population.