Contemporary epidemiology of gout and hyperuricemia in community elderly in Beijing

To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of gout and hyperuricemia in an elderly community cohort in Beijing.

A total of 10 039 individuals aged 50 years or older participated in the study, based on the Beijing Longitudinal Study on Aging II (BLSA II) Cohort in 2009. All participants were asked for a Gout Assessment Questionnaire under the guidelines of the American College of Rheumatology. The prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia were evaluated. The potential risk factors for gout and hyperuricemia were analyzed by logistic regression.

In our BLSA II cohort, the prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia were 2.8% and 18.1%, respectively. The prevalence of gout in the Han population was significantly lower than that in Hui population (2.6% vs. 5.8%). The traditional risk factors (age and body mass index [BMI] and metabolic syndrome [ms]) were significantly associated with the risk of gout and hyperuricemia (age: OR 1.2, 95%CI 1.1-1.5 for gout; OR 1.3, 95%CI 1.1-1.4 for hyperuricemia, respectively; BMI: OR 1.6, 95%CI 1.3-2.0; OR 1.5, 95%CI 1.3-1.8; ms: OR 2.6, 95%CI 2.0-3.3; OR 2.0, 95%CI 1.7-2.2). Family history was strongly associated with an increased risk of gout (OR 6.5, 95%CI 3.9-10.8).

Our study showed that the prevalence of both gout and hyperuricemia in Beijing remains substantial. The prevalence in the Hui population was higher than other ethnic groups. The traditional risk factors were strong risk factors for gout and hyperuricemia in China.