Prevalence and associations of gout and hyperuricaemia: results from an Australian population-based study.

BACKGROUND

Despite gout and hyperuricaemia being major comorbid health issues worldwide, there is a knowledge gap regarding their impact in the Australian community.

AIMS

To determine the prevalence and associations of self-reported medically diagnosed gout and hyperuricaemia in an Australian population-based cohort.

METHODS

The North West Adelaide Health Study is a longitudinal cohort study consisting of three stages of data collection. Each stage comprised a self-complete questionnaire, clinic assessment and computer-assisted telephone interview. In Stage 3 (2008-2010), participants were asked if a doctor had ever diagnosed them with gout. Additional data included demographics, comorbidities, laboratory data and Short Form 36 (SF-36). Participants were defined as having gout if they had self-reported medically diagnosed gout or were taking any gout-specific medication (allopurinol, colchicine, probenecid). Hyperuricaemia was defined as a serum uric acid (SUA) level >0.42 mmol/L in men and >0.34 mmol/L in women.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of gout was 5.2%. Males were significantly more likely to have gout than females (8.5 vs 2.1%, P < 0.001). The overall prevalence of hyperuricaemia was 16.6%, with being male again identified as a significant risk factor (17.8 vs 15.4%, P < 0.01). Both gout and hyperuricaemia were associated with male sex, body mass index and renal disease after multivariable adjustment. There was no significant difference reported in quality of life (mean SF-36) scores in participants with gout compared to unaffected individuals.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia is high in the South Australian population. This study emphasises the need for optimal diagnosis and management of gout in Australia.