Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey Study

Objective The objective of this study was to assess the burden of gout flares and examine associated patient characteristics and outcomes in a sample of US adults. Methods Data were collected via an online survey of US adults ≥18 years using a random stratified sampling framework. Participants with...

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Main Authors: Jasvinder A. Singh, Amy Morlock, Robert Morlock
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-01-01
Series:ACR Open Rheumatology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11759
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author Jasvinder A. Singh
Amy Morlock
Robert Morlock
author_facet Jasvinder A. Singh
Amy Morlock
Robert Morlock
author_sort Jasvinder A. Singh
collection DOAJ
description Objective The objective of this study was to assess the burden of gout flares and examine associated patient characteristics and outcomes in a sample of US adults. Methods Data were collected via an online survey of US adults ≥18 years using a random stratified sampling framework. Participants with gout completed questions about treatments, serum urate (SU) levels, severity, satisfaction with control, and gout flares. All participants completed the Veterans RAND 12‐Item Health Survey, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐Item Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9‐Item Scale. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Multivariable‐adjusted logistic regression analyses examined factors predictive of reporting gout flares to a physician. Results A total of 933 participants met the study criteria for having gout. Those with gout tended to be older (58.3 [SD 13.3] years vs 45.4 [SD 16.1] years; P < 0.001), male (76.3% vs 46.9%; P < 0.001), White (80.5% vs 76.8%; P = 0.01), and married or living with their partner (58.9% vs 52.8%; P < 0.001) compared with those without gout (n = 30,146). The total gout flare burden for those with gout was 6.6 gout flares per year. Nearly 72% of gout flares were either not reported to physicians or pretreated or prevented. Characteristics of those who were less likely to report gout flares included being younger, being less educated, having a lower Charlson Comorbidity Index score, not being diagnosed with gout by their doctor, and not taking a urate‐lowering therapy. Conclusion This study confirmed that gout flares are common in US adults with gout and found that gout flares are underreported. Reliance on clinical documentation of physician‐reported gout flares is insufficient to assess the true patient burden of gout.
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spelling doaj-art-e02326efab994cba9bcedce29dcf8bea2025-02-04T06:21:23ZengWileyACR Open Rheumatology2578-57452025-01-0171n/an/a10.1002/acr2.11759Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey StudyJasvinder A. Singh0Amy Morlock1Robert Morlock2Medicine Service, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Houston TexasAcumen Health Research Institute Ann Arbor MichiganAcumen Health Research Institute Ann Arbor MichiganObjective The objective of this study was to assess the burden of gout flares and examine associated patient characteristics and outcomes in a sample of US adults. Methods Data were collected via an online survey of US adults ≥18 years using a random stratified sampling framework. Participants with gout completed questions about treatments, serum urate (SU) levels, severity, satisfaction with control, and gout flares. All participants completed the Veterans RAND 12‐Item Health Survey, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐Item Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9‐Item Scale. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Multivariable‐adjusted logistic regression analyses examined factors predictive of reporting gout flares to a physician. Results A total of 933 participants met the study criteria for having gout. Those with gout tended to be older (58.3 [SD 13.3] years vs 45.4 [SD 16.1] years; P < 0.001), male (76.3% vs 46.9%; P < 0.001), White (80.5% vs 76.8%; P = 0.01), and married or living with their partner (58.9% vs 52.8%; P < 0.001) compared with those without gout (n = 30,146). The total gout flare burden for those with gout was 6.6 gout flares per year. Nearly 72% of gout flares were either not reported to physicians or pretreated or prevented. Characteristics of those who were less likely to report gout flares included being younger, being less educated, having a lower Charlson Comorbidity Index score, not being diagnosed with gout by their doctor, and not taking a urate‐lowering therapy. Conclusion This study confirmed that gout flares are common in US adults with gout and found that gout flares are underreported. Reliance on clinical documentation of physician‐reported gout flares is insufficient to assess the true patient burden of gout.https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11759
spellingShingle Jasvinder A. Singh
Amy Morlock
Robert Morlock
Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey Study
ACR Open Rheumatology
title Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey Study
title_full Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey Study
title_fullStr Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey Study
title_full_unstemmed Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey Study
title_short Gout Flare Burden in the United States: A Multiyear Cross‐Sectional Survey Study
title_sort gout flare burden in the united states a multiyear cross sectional survey study
url https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11759
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