Women and their loved ones are affected by gout: Survey

May 23 2012

An online survey conducted by Red Hot Mamas North America, Inc. found that women and their loved ones are significantly affected by very painful bouts of gout, which they consider to be chronic and severe. Respondents indicated that although the debilitating pain associated with the condition affects quality of life, many individuals are prescribed medications meant to control the condition which they are not taking.  Red Hot Mamas®, the largest menopause education program in the U.S., aims to foster education among those impacted by gout on Gout Awareness Day, May 22.

Gout is a painful form of inflammatory arthritis caused by a high level of uric acid in the blood. Approximately eight million people in the U.S. are affected by the condition.  For women, the risk of gout increases after menopause due to a drastic decrease in the production of estrogen, which may help the kidneys excrete uric acid. Gout flares occur when excess uric acid crystallizes around the joints, causing inflammation, swelling and pain. If left untreated, these uric acid crystal deposits, called tophi, can limit everyday movement and potentially lead to joint damage over time. 

May 22 is national Gout Awareness Day and the Gout Awareness Survey is part of a broader Red Hot Mamas® initiative to educate midlife women about this health condition and to provide informational resources to help women and their loved ones cope with gout. 

Facts From Red Hot Mamas® Gout Awareness Survey

• Of the 451 female respondents, 150 had experienced gout. Over half of these women (51.3 percent) had more than three flares in one year and 45.3 percent went to the emergency room due to pain caused by flares. Eighty-seven percent of these women said their gout was chronic and severe. Eighty percent of this group sought help from a healthcare professional and 76 percent were prescribed medication, yet only 40.7 percent were utilizing medication at time of survey. Seventy-five percent utilized non-prescription intervention and 65.3 percent made lifestyle changes. Gout interfered with various aspects of their lives due to pain, with most common responses including exercise, driving and family activities.  
• Sixty-two percent of respondents said they had a family member or friend who had three or more gout flares in one year; 42.6 percent of those sufferers experienced tophi. Ninety percent of respondents were concerned about the long term consequences of gout, and 72 percent said the condition impacts family activities.
• Quality of life is negatively affected by gout. Limits the condition puts on everyday activity (e.g., walking up stairs, executing household chores) were most bothersome to survey participants; sleep disturbances and exhaustion from gout-related pain were also cited as diminishing quality of life.

"Both men and women's lives are greatly impacted as a result of gout from pain, tophi, and non-compliance with medications," says Verna Brooks-Mckenzie, MB, BS, FACOG, NCMP, Obstetrician and Gynecologist/Certified Menopause Practitioner. "Frequent visits to the emergency room add to the sky-rocketing costs of healthcare and the findings substantiate the fact that more education is needed for gout sufferers to better understand the cause and proper management of the disease with lifestyle modifications and prescribed medications."