Risk factors for gout in Togolese patients

Objective. To determine the risk factors for gout in Togolese patients. Met hods. The medical records of patients admitted to the Lome Teaching Hospita l (Togo) rheumatology department over a ten-year period were reviewed retro spectively. Results, Of the 8351 study patients, 160 (1.9%) fulfilled Ameri can Rheumatism Association criteria for gout; 159 were male. Mean age at di sease onset was 44 years, and mean disease duration was six years. Tophi we re recorded in 35 cases and a history of renal colic in one. Only five pati ents (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 t herapy. 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 pop ulation-based studies are needed for confirmation, our study suggests that risk factors for gout in Togolese patients are similar to those in other pa rts of Africa and in Western countries. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.