Gout and its comorbidities in the total population of Stockholm

- Gout was present in 0.3% among women and 0.8% among men in Stockholm County.
- Hypertension was the most common comorbidity, 68% among women and 54% among men.
- Alcohol abuse was most overrepresented compared to people without gout.

ObjectiveStudy of prevalence of gout with concomitant diseases.MethodsStudy population included all living persons in Stockholm County, Sweden, on January 1st 2013 (N = 2,124,959). A diagnosis of gout was identified during 2013-2014, with information of diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance, hypertension, chronic heart failure, chronic kidney disease, alcohol abuse, and malignancies. Age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for women and men with gout, using individuals without gout as referents, were calculated.ResultsAge-adjusted odds of co-morbidities among individuals with gout vs. those without gout were: diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance 3.97 (95% CI 3.65-4.31) in women and 1.88 (95% CI 1.78-1.99) in men; hypertension 4.02 (95% CI 3.69-4.37) in women and 3.21 (95% CI 3.06-3.37) in men; chronic heart failure 4.72 (95% CI 4.31-5.19) in women and 2.84 (95% CI 2.66-3.04) in men; chronic kidney disease 2.08 (95% CI 1.50-2.87) in women and 2.39 (95% CI 2.15-2.66) in men; alcohol abuse 8.98 (95% CI 8.15-9.80) in women and 4.38 (95% CI 4.10-4.69) in men; and malignancies 1.32 (95% CI 1.17-1.48) in women and 1.13 (95% CI 1.06-1.21) men.ConclusionGout is a warning sign for concomitant diseases, e.g. alcoholism, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.Key messages1.A diagnosis of gout was present in 0.3% among women and 0.8% among men in Stockholm County.2.Among individuals with gout, hypertension, being the most common concomitant disease, was present in 68% among women and 54% among men.3.Alcohol abuse was the most overrepresented disorder compared to individuals without gout, with odds ratio of 9 among women and 5 among men.