Risk factors for gout in Togolese patients.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the risk factors for gout in Togolese patients.

METHODS

The medical records of patients admitted to the Lomé Teaching Hospital (Togo) rheumatology department over a ten-year period were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

Of the 8351 study patients, 160 (1.9%) fulfilled American Rheumatism Association criteria for gout; 159 were male. Mean age at disease onset was 44 years, and mean disease duration was six years. Tophi were recorded in 35 cases and a history of renal colic in one. Only five patients (3.1%) had no identifiable risk factors. The main risk factors in the remaining patients were alcohol abuse (133/160, 83.12%), overweight/obesity (64/160, 40%), and hypertension (42/160, 26.25%); 153 patients (95.6%) had at least one of these risk factors, 58 patients (36.32%) had two, and 14 (8.8%) had all three. Of the 42 hypertensive patients, 20 were on diuretic therapy. Seventeen patients (10.62%) had a family history of gout. There was no evidence that AS or AC hemoglobinopathy (32 and 13 cases, respectively) influenced the course or natural history of gout.

CONCLUSION

Although population-based studies are needed for confirmation, our study suggests that risk factors for gout in Togolese patients are similar to those in other parts of Africa and in Western countries.