Epidemiology

Gout is a commonly seen disease both in primary care as well as in hospital practice (1).

According to the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), the overall prevalence of gout in UK is estimated to be 1.4% (in 1999) (2).

• incidence and prevalence of gout are both strongly age-related with a prevalence >7% in men, and >4% in women, over the age of 75 years (1)
• it is rare in pre menopausal women but the prevalence increases with age (1)

The condition is more common in men and the male:female ratio is around 3.6:1 (1).

• this sex discrepancy decrease with increasing age

The GPRD data also revealed that urate-lowering drug therapy is prescribed to approximately one-third of the patients diagnosed with gout (2).

Reference:

• (1) Jordan KM et al. British Society for Rheumatology and British Health Professionals in Rheumatology guideline for the management of gout. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007;46(8):1372-4
• (2) Doherty M. New insights into the epidemiology of gout. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2009;48 Suppl 2:ii2-ii8.