NEW STUDY. Gout is the most prevalent arthritic disease in the Western Sweden region and its incidence has increased substantially over the last ten years. However, less than half of patients with gout receive preventive treatment according to a new study from Sahlgrenska Academy, the first of its kind in the Nordic region to investigate how prevalent gout is.
Gout is a crystal arthritis, where high levels of uric acid precipitate as crystals in joints and soft tissues, giving rise to extremely painful inflammation which attacks suddenly, and then spontaneously recedes after one to two weeks.
The big toe joint is most often affected, but the knee and other joints can also be affected.
First study in Sweden
The disease is common throughout the world, most common in the elderly population, and more common for men than women.
The incidence of gout worldwide is around 2-3 percent of the population and there are studies from several European countries, but neither Sweden nor the other Nordic countries have previously conducted any studies on the incidence of gout.
Incidence of gout
In a new study from Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, the incidence of gout in the Western Sweden region was investigated.
“Because the Western Sweden region is representative of Sweden, we believe that this data is also representative of Sweden,” says Mats Dehlin Head of Rheumatology and Researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
According to the study, the prevalence of gout in the population aged 20 years and above was 1.8 percent in the Western Sweden region in 2012, with an incidence of 190 (newly diagnosed) cases per 100,000 persons per year.
Nearly 50 percent increase
“Our study also shows that the incidence of gout increased every year from 2005 to 2012, with an almost 50 percent increase in new cases during this period. Preventive treatment in the form of urate-lowering drugs were prescribed to only 42 percent of patients with gout in 2012,” says Mats Dehlin.
The aim of the study was to describe the prevalence (incidence) and trends in incidence (new cases) of gout, as well as its treatment with urate-lowering drugs (preventive treatment for gout) in the Western Sweden region from 2002 to 2012.
Treatment isn´t used enough
Researchers utilized regional and national registers and mapped preventive drug treatment for gout using the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register.
“Cheap and effective treatment has been available for many years but it isn’t used enough. We are currently looking at why this is so,” says Mats Dehlin.
The study, Incidence and prevalence of gout in Western Sweden, was published in the scientific journal Arthritis Research & Therapy in July.
