Clinical Picture, Investigations, and Management

Sixty-two (29.1%) and 95 (44.6%) patients complained of joint pain in the uncontrolled and controlled gout groups, respectively, compared with 12 (5.6%) in the uncontrolled group who had asymptomatic high uric acid levels and 12 (4.7%) in the controlled-gout group who had other symptoms at the time of diagnosis (P=0.022). In terms of medications, allopurinol was the most frequently reported drug used to treat both uncontrolled and controlled gout (n=28, 13.1% and n=21, 9.9%, respectively), followed by colchicine (n=24, 11.3% and n=19, 8.9%, respectively) and probenecid (n=15, 7.0% and n=14, 6.6%, respectively) (P=0.012). Twenty (9.4%) and 19 (8.9%) patients with uncontrolled and controlled gout had undergone thyroid function testing and determination of C-reactive protein levels, respectively, followed by 13 (6.1%) and 12 (5.6%) patients in the uncontrolled and controlled groups, respectively, who indicating having had complete blood count and renal function tests, respectively (P=0.042). Sixty- six (31.0%) and 32 (15.0) patients with uncontrolled and controlled gout, respectively, indicated having visited a nutritionist to treat gout, while 65 (30.5%) and 50 (23.5%) patients with uncontrolled and controlled gout, respectively, had not consulted a nutritionist (P=0.037). One hundred eighteen (55.4%) and 74 (34.7%) patients with uncontrolled and controlled gout, respectively, had spoken with their doctors about minimizing consumption of foods that contain high levels of uric acid (such as red meat and legumes), compared with 9 (4.2%) and 12 (5.6%) who had not (P=0.532) (Table 3).Table 3. Clinical Picture, Investigations, and ManagementQuestionnaire prompt Response options How many recurring attacks of gout annually in your case ”after” you started treatment? suffering from a gout 0.532 complaint? acid you started treatment? option)?