title: Clinical characteristics of gout: a hospital case series.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gout is an increasingly common medical problem. The traditional risk factors of male sex and high red meat or alcohol consumption have been joined with newer risks such as increased life expectancy, and the metabolic syndrome (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, truncal obesity).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study to determine the epidemiology, clinical features, associated conditions as well as renal related conditions in existing gout patients followed-up in Rheumatology outpatient clinic, Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a three month period, we identified 54 gouty patients on our follow-up, the majority being male, Malay ethnicity, with the age of onset in the third and fourth decades of life. Commonly associated risk factors were hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and obesity. However, underlying history of diabetes mellitus, alcohol consumption, and family history were not commonly associated with gout in our group of patients. Half of our patients had at least two or more joints involvement. About half of the patients with tophaceous gout had renal impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our series of gout patients highlight the high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. The high prevalence of tophi and renal impairment is a cause for concern.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban, Malaysia. (Asmah Mohd, Loh Yet Lin, Gandhi C, Beryl D'Souza, Gun Suk Chyn).
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohd
authors.affiliation: International Medical University, Seremban, Malaysia. (Esha Das Gupta).
authors.forename: E das
authors.initials: Ed
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban, Malaysia. (Asmah Mohd, Loh Yet Lin, Gandhi C, Beryl D'Souza, Gun Suk Chyn).
authors.forename: Yl
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.affiliation: Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban, Malaysia. (Asmah Mohd, Loh Yet Lin, Gandhi C, Beryl D'Souza, Gun Suk Chyn).
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.affiliation: Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban, Malaysia. (Asmah Mohd, Loh Yet Lin, Gandhi C, Beryl D'Souza, Gun Suk Chyn).
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: D'Souza
authors.affiliation: Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban, Malaysia. (Asmah Mohd, Loh Yet Lin, Gandhi C, Beryl D'Souza, Gun Suk Chyn).
authors.forename: Sc
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gun