Occurrence of gout in rheumatoid arthritis: it does happen! A population-based study.

Aim: It has been a popular belief that gout does not typically occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to assess the occurrence, prevalence, clinical presentation and possible risk factors for gout in patients with RA.

Patients & Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a population-based incidence cohort of patients who fulfilled 1987 ACR criteria for RA between 1980 and 2007. The cumulative prevalence of gout in RA adjusted for the competing risk of death was estimated.

Results: Among the 813 patients with RA, six were diagnosed with gout prior to RA incidence and 22 patients developed gout during a total of 9771 person-years of follow-up. Nine out of 22 patients had crystal-proven gout. The 25-year cumulative prevalence of gout diagnosed by clinical criteria in patients with RA was 5.3%.

Conclusion: Gout does occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, however, at a lower rate than in the general population.