Chronic Kidney Disease in Gout Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Fuldeore Mahesh J, Riedel Aylin A, Zarotsky Victoria, Pandya Bhavik J, Dabbous Omar, Krishnan Eswar
Primary Institution: Abbott Laboratories
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among gout patients and how does it affect allopurinol dosing and uric acid control?
Conclusion
About two out of every five patients with gout in this population had CKD, and serum uric acid control was poor among both CKD and non-CKD patients.
Supporting Evidence
- 39% of gout patients in the study had chronic kidney disease.
- Only 25.6% of allopurinol users without CKD achieved the target uric acid level.
- Patients with CKD were older and more likely to be female.
Takeaway
Many people with gout also have kidney problems, and this makes it harder to control their uric acid levels with medication.
Methodology
This was a retrospective study analyzing claims and laboratory data from a large US health plan from January 2002 to December 2005.
Potential Biases
The method of identifying gout patients from claims data may lead to misclassification errors.
Limitations
The study may not be generalizable due to the requirement of serum creatinine tests and the focus on patients seeking medical care.
Participant Demographics
The study included patients aged 18 and older, with a higher prevalence of CKD among older and female patients.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0409
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 1.380 - 3.289
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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