Report: For US Patients, Gout Burden Greatest Among Asian Americans

An analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examines Survey (NHANES) is raising a red flag related to the worsening burden of gout among the fasting growing racial/ethnic group in the US.

Presented at the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2023 by Natalie McCormick, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, results of the analysis, which assessed the gout burdens ross racial/ethnic subgroups from 2011-2018, indicate the growing burden of gout in the Asian American community has resulted in these patients having the highest age- and sex-adjusted burdens of gout among any racial/ethnic group, with further analysis using the UK Biobank cohort supporting the findings.¹

With the population of Asian Americans increasing by 81% between 2000-2019², a renewed emphasis has been placed on researching outcomes and disease management. With this in mind, McCormick and a team of colleagues designed the current study with the intent of exploring disparities in the burden of gout over time among various racial/ethnic groups in the US.¹

To do so, investigators designed their study as an analysis of data recorded within NHANES survey cycles from 2011-2018. The primary endpoints of interest for the investigators’ analyses were the prevalence of gout and serum rate concentrations according to race/ethnicity. To verify their findings, investigators planned to replicate the Asian-White differences within the UK Biobank cohort.¹

Upon analysis, results indicated the prevalence of gout among all US adults included in the survey increased from 3.6% (95% Confidence interval [CI], 2.8-4.5) in 2011-2012 to 5.1% (95% CI, 4.2-5.9) in 2017-2018 (P for trend = .03). However, investigators pointed out this trend was nullified after excluding Asian Americans (P for trend = .11) and after age adjustment (P for trend = .06).¹

When examining prevalence among Asian Americans during the same period, results suggested the age- and sex-adjusted prevalence doubled from 3.3% to 6.6%. According to investigators, the prevalence of age- and sex-adjusted gout in Asian Americans was greater than any other individual racial/ethnic group. Further analysis indicated the age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for gout among Asian Americans relative to their White counterparts in 2017-2018 was 1.61 (95% CI, 1.03-2.51) and, in socio-clinical-factor-adjusted models, the OR was 2.62 (95% CI, 1.59-4.33). Investigators pointed out this apparent Asian-White disparity was also present in their analyses of the UK Biobank cohort.¹

With an interest in learning more about the study and its implications, the editorial team of HCPLive Rheumatology sat down with McCormick to discuss the results of the EULAR 2023 study.

Dr. McCormick has no relevant disclosures to report.

References:

1. Yokes C, McCormick N, Lu N, et al. WORSENING BURDEN OF GOUT AMONG ASIAN AMERICAN ADULTS – GENERAL POPULATION-BASED STUDY (2011-2018). Paper presented at: European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2023. Milan, Italy. May 31 – June 3, 2023.
2. Budiman A. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Pew Research Center. April 9, 2021. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/09/asian-americans-are-the-fastest-growing-racial-or-ethnic-group-in-the-u-s/.