High prevalence of gout and related risk factors in Taiwan's Aborigines.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of gout and to examine its risk factors among Taiwan's Aborigines compared with non-Aborigines.

METHODS

Data were collected from persons older than 40 years living in 3 aboriginal and 2 non-aboriginal districts in Taiwan by a community survey. Cases of gout were identified from self-reporting of a doctor's diagnosis based on clinical criteria. Baseline variables and biochemical data were examined as risk factors for the development of gout.

RESULTS

The prevalence of gout history was found to be 15.2% (25/165) and 4.8% (11/231) among aboriginal men and women, respectively, compared with a prevalence rate of 0.3% among non-Aborigines. A logistic regression model showed that aboriginal men older than 60 years with hyperuricemia were more severely affected by gout than any other group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

A high prevalence of gout among Taiwanese Aborigines was observed in this study and race was the most significant risk factor associated with the disease.