Tabi-Amponsah Adwoa Dansoa, Stewart Sarah, Hosie Graham, Horne Anne, Dalbeth Nicola
University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
ACR Open Rheumatol. 2023 Aug;5(8):399-406. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11579. Epub 2023 Jul 3.
Preliminary remission criteria for gout have been developed. However, the patient experience of gout remission has not been described. This qualitative study aimed to understand the patient experience of gout remission and views about the preliminary gout remission criteria.
Semistructured interviews were conducted. All participants had gout, had not had a gout flare in the preceding 6 months, and were on urate-lowering medication. Participants were asked to discuss their experience of gout remission and views about the preliminary remission criteria. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic approach.
Twenty participants with gout (17 male participants, median age 63 years) were interviewed. Four key themes of the patient experience of remission were identified: 1) minimal or no gout symptoms (absence of pain due to gout flares, good physical function, smaller or no tophi), 2) freedom from dietary restrictions, 3) gout is "not on the mind", and 4) multifaceted management strategies to maintain remission (regular urate-lowering therapy, exercise, healthy eating). Participants believed that the preliminary remission criteria contained all relevant domains but considered that the pain and patient global assessment domains overlapped with the gout flares domain. Participants regarded 12 months as a more suitable time frame than 6 months to measure remission.
Patients experience gout remission as a return to normality with minimal or no gout symptoms, dietary freedom, and absence of mental load. Patients use a range of management strategies to maintain gout remission.
痛风的初步缓解标准已经制定。然而，痛风缓解的患者体验尚未得到描述。这项定性研究旨在了解痛风缓解的患者体验以及对痛风初步缓解标准的看法。
进行了半结构化访谈。所有参与者均患有痛风，在过去6个月内未出现痛风发作，且正在接受降尿酸治疗。参与者被要求讨论他们的痛风缓解体验以及对初步缓解标准的看法。访谈进行了录音并逐字转录。使用反思性主题分析法对数据进行了分析。
对20名痛风患者（17名男性参与者，中位年龄63岁）进行了访谈。确定了痛风缓解患者体验的四个关键主题：1）痛风症状极少或没有（无痛风发作引起的疼痛、身体功能良好、痛风石较小或没有），2）摆脱饮食限制，3）不再“惦记”痛风，4）维持缓解的多方面管理策略（定期降尿酸治疗、运动、健康饮食）。参与者认为初步缓解标准涵盖了所有相关领域，但认为疼痛和患者整体评估领域与痛风发作领域存在重叠。参与者认为12个月比6个月更适合作为衡量缓解的时间框架。
患者将痛风缓解体验为恢复正常，痛风症状极少或没有、饮食自由且没有心理负担。患者采用一系列管理策略来维持痛风缓解。
