A 53-year-old man has a slowly enlarging "bump" over the olecranon process of his elbow. The mass is excised and on section has a chalky white consistency. Microscopically, the mass is composed of elongated, needle-shaped crystals that under polarized light are negatively birefringent. Surrounding the crystals is a granulomatous inflammatory infiltrate. True statements concerning his condition include all of the following, except?