Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4K4, Canada. john.hanly@cdha.nshealth.ca
To determine the incidence, healthcare utilization, and costs in older adults with gout.
A 5-year retrospective case-control study of patients with incident gout and matched controls was performed. Study variables were derived from health administrative data and included patient demographics, International Classification of Diseases diagnostic codes, and healthcare cost information.
There were 4,071 cases and 16,281 controls, providing a 5-year incidence of gout of 4.4%. The mean (+/-SD) age (77+/-7.3 and 76+/-7.1 yrs) and the male:female ratio (1.0:1.04) were similar in both groups. Gout was diagnosed by family physicians (77%), nonrheumatology subspecialists (18%), general internists (4%), and rheumatologists (0.02%). Hospitalizations were significantly higher in cases (p