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Increasing Prevalence of Gout and Hyperuricemia Over 10 Years Among Older Adults in a Managed Care Population
KATRINE L. WALLACE, AYLIN A. RIEDEL, NANCY JOSEPH-RIDGE, and ROBERT WORTMANN
ABSTRACT.
Methods. The study was a descriptive analysis utilizing an administrative claims database to ascertain 10-year trends in prevalence of gout and/or hyperuricemia. Prevalence rates were calculated cross-sectionally for each year (1990–99) and expressed/compared as rates per 1000 enrollees. Results. The prevalence of gout and/or hyperuricemia in the overall population increased by about 2 cases per 1000 enrollees over 10 years. In the > 75 year age group, rates increased from 21 per 1000 persons in 1990 to 41 per 1000 in 1999. In the 65–74 year age group, prevalence increased from between 21 and 24 per 1000 persons in the years 1990–92 to over 31 per 1000 during the years 1997–99. Prevalence rates in younger age groups (< 65 years) stayed consistently low during the years under study. There were sex differences in most age groups, with men having the greater burden of disease at every time point. Conclusion. Prevalence of gout and/or hyperuricemia in the overall study population increased during the 10-year period. When stratified by age, there were increases in prevalence among groups over age 65 in both sexes. Although gout prevalence increased in both sexes over the 10-year period, men still had most of the burden of disease. In ages younger than 65, men had 4 times higher prevalence than women (4:1 ratio), but in the older age groups (> 65), the gender gap narrowed to 1 woman to every 3 men with gout and/or hyperuricemia (3:1 ratio). (J Rheumatol 2004;31:1582-7) Key Indexing Terms:
EPIDEMIOLOGY
From TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Lake Forest, IL; Ingenix Pharmaceutical Services, Eden Prairie, MN; the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa, OK; and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, USA. Supported by TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc. K.L. Wallace, PhD(C), TAP Pharmaceuticals and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health; A.A. Riedel, PhD, Ingenix Pharmaceutical Services; N. Joseph-Ridge, MD, TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc.; R. Wortmann, MD, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Address reprint requests to K.L. Wallace, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, TAP Pharmaceutical Products, 675 Field Drive, Dept. T22, Lake Forest, IL 60045. E-mail: kwalla2@uic.edu Submitted April 14, 2003; revision accepted February 28, 2004. |