I have a Birmingham hip, done in January. I'm also a gout sufferer. My gout was under control with medication, but since the replacement, I seem to be getting more numerous attacks. My uric acid level is ok, according to my rheumatologist. I was wondering if the metal ions from the metal on metal hip could be causing uric acid to precipitate more easily, causing these attacks. I searched PubMed for any research, and found none. Any other folks out there with a similar problem?