Changing trends of mortality in gout.

Patients with primary gout live as long as the nongouty male in the general population. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the gouty and nongouty population. There is a parallel decline in mortality particularly from coronary heart disease as that in the general population. This phenomenon is related to a number of specific and nonspecific factors. The changes in life styles and major risk factors may be counted as important influences. It is also clear that the impact of the disturbance of uric acid metabolism has not placed a particular individual in a category with any significantly inherent greater risk from intimately or remotely related causes of morbidity or mortality.