Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, affecting more than 8.3 million Americans today. Unfortunately, it is widely misunderstood by the general public, and there remain inconsistencies of diagnosis and treatment among clinicians.
The pain during a gout attack is often so excruciating that many go to an emergency room for relief.
On a pain scale of one to 10, most gout patients rank their pain as a nine or a 10. Many report that during an attack, the affected joint feels as if it is caught in a mechanical device. Even the thought of a bedsheet touching the joint is enough to make them cringe.
Gout attacks come on quickly and can last for several days. After a first attack, most people will experience another painful flare within a year. More than three in four gout sufferers will have another attack within two years. Subsequent attacks often are more severe and last longer.
Gout Education Society Study
A 2015 survey conducted on behalf of the Gout Education Society revealed that very few adults, even those suffering from gout, understand the importance of regular uric acid testing or what their uric acid level should be. Elevated uric acid is the root cause of gout, yet more than 8 in 10 Americans don’t know the target uric acid level for gout. The survey also found startling misconceptions about the disease overall, its causes and proper treatment.
CME Courses
The Gout Education Society believes that continuing education for medical professionals and their staff is crucial when it comes to keeping up with the latest in gout treatment, diagnosis and management.
ACR Guidelines
In October 2012, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) published its long anticipated “Guidelines for the Management of Gout.” In September 2015, ACR expanded on the existing guidelines and released new classification criteria about gout.
Gout Education Library
With gout on the rise, it is essential that all patients, especially those touched by gout, are knowledgeable about this serious disease. You can always learn more from your doctor during regular visits. Take a stand on gout!
Statistically Speaking
- 84% of Americans don’t know the target uric acid level for gout
- Just 10% of Americans overall—and 38% of people who have gout—have had their uric acid checked within the past six months
- Two-thirds of Americans have never had their uric acid tested
- More than half of Americans don't even know what uric acid is
- More than one in three gout sufferers does not know that elevated uric acid contributes to gout risk and gout flares
- Half of gout sufferers don't believe it's important to monitor their uric acid levels regularly
- Nearly 6 in 10 Americans don’t know gout is a chronic, life-long disease
- More than 6 in 10 Americans don’t know gout is a form of arthritis
Additional information about the 2015 survey can be found here. Download these infographics to learn more about how gout is on the rise and the many misconceptions about the disease.
Clinical Research/Studies
Below are several relevant publications in current medical literature. If you are aware of additional research that you believe would be helpful to other medical professionals and that you would like us to add to this section, please contact us.
- October 2018: Evaluation of the diet wide contribution to serum urate levels: meta-analysis of population based cohorts
- September 2018: Sleep Apnea Increases the Risk for Gout, Study Suggests
- August 2018: Gout Associated With Increased Risk of Developing Erectile Dysfunction
- March 2018: Cardiovascular Safety of Febuxostat or Allopurinol in Patients with Gout
- February 2018: A drug long used to treat gout may help adult heart failure patients
- April 2017: Chronic kidney disease patients more likely to have gout than those without CKD, study finds
- November 2016: Gout treatment does not raise CKD risk
- August 2016: Higher dietary salt intakes reduce gout triggers: Study
- June 2016: Gaps exist in clinician knowledge of gout management
- June 2016: Study finds opposing trends in hospitalizations, costs for gout and rheumatoid arthritis
- November 2015: Uric acid levels can predict metabolic syndrome and hypertension in adolescents
- November 2015 – Uric acid regulates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance through the NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent mechanism
- November 2015 – Gout is associated with heart dysfunction
- September 2015 – 2015 Gout Classification Criteria
- April 2015 – Gout and risk of chronic kidney disease and nephrolithiasis: meta-analysis of observational studies
- February 2015 – Anakinra for the treatment of acute severe gout in critically ill patients
- February 2015 – The economic burden of gout: a systematic review
- September 2013 – Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption: a risk factor for prevalent gout with SLC2A9 genotype-specific effects on serum urate and risk of gout
- July 2013 – Multinational evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of gout: integrating systematic literature review and expert opinion of a broad panel of rheumatologists in the 3e initiative
- July 2013 – Gout as a risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke in England: evidence from record linkage studies
- June 2013 – Health-related quality of life and outcome measures in gout
- April 2013 – Management of gout in primary care: challenges and potential solutions
- July 2012 – Starting dose is a risk factor for allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome: a proposed safe starting dose of allopurinol
- May 2012 – Developing a provisional definition of flare in patients with established gout
- January 2012 – Assessment of tophus size: a comparison between physical measurement methods and dual-energy computed tomography scanning
- September 2011 – Prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia in the US general population: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2008
- March 2011 – Risk factors for gout and prevention: a systematic review of the literature
- February 2011 – Prevalence of contraindications and prescription of pharmacologic therapies for gout
- February 2011 – Clinical Practice: Gout
- January 2011 – Efficacy and tolerability of pegloticase for the treatment of chronic gout in patients refractory to conventional treatment: two randomized controlled trials
