Gouty arthritis in acute cerebrovascular disease.
BACKGROUND
Gouty arthritis is a metabolic disorder associated with several medical diseases and is considered as a high-risk factor of acute myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality. Since no study has assessed the frequency of gout attack in acute-stroke patients, a retrospective analysis of gouty arthritis in stroke patients was performed to identify the frequency and characteristics of gouty arthritis in hospitalized stroke patients.


METHODS
We reviewed the data of 920 patients admitted to the neurology ward of the Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 2002 and 2005 with ischemic stroke. The frequency of gouty arthritis in these patients was evaluated. The severity of the risk factors was compared between the patients with gout and those without.


RESULTS
The frequency of gouty arthritis in the stroke patients was 6.5%. Most patients had an attack of gout within 9 days of admission. History of gout, uric acid level and hypercholesterolemia were independent risk factors of gout attack during acute stroke. The duration of acute-ward stay was longer in patients with gout than in those without (17.17 vs. 14.01 days, p = 0.016).


CONCLUSIONS
Our retrospective study demonstrated that gout attack is not uncommon in acute-stroke patients and may result in longer duration of acute-ward stay.
Lin
Ya-Hui
YH
Department of Neurology, Chiayi branch, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Hsu
Huan-Lin
HL
Huang
Ying-Chih
YC
Lee
Meng
M
Huang
Wen-Yi
WY
Huang
Yen-Chu
YC
Lee
Tsong-Hai
TH
Lee
Jiann-Der
JD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015210:Arthritis, Gouty / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors