Research

People with gout living in the Asia-Pacific face unique set of challenges compared to those from other parts of the world. The APLAR Gout Registry aims to characterize people with gout from APLAR member states with special emphasis on people from areas underrepresented in current gout literature.

The registry portal is hosted on APLAR website here. 

Key papers:

• The APLAR Gout Registry: A multinational collaboration to better understand people with gout in the Asia-Pacific

People with gout who were hospitalized for COVID-19 usually have multiple comorbid conditions (e.g., diabetes, obesity), high prevalence of COVID-19 related death. About 18% of people with COVID-19 also developed gout flare during their hospital stay. Gout flares during COVID-19 hospitalization appeared to be very intense that they required two or more anti-gout medications.

Key papers:

• Prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of gout flare in patients hospitalized for PCR-confirmed COVID-19: A multicenter retrospective cohort study

• Characteristics and Outcomes of People With Gout Hospitalized Due to COVID-19: Data From the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Physician-Reported Registry

Gout flares are frequent during hospitalization, leading to longer length of hospital stay. Several indicators of poor gout control (e.g., not taking gout medication, having tophus) were associated with the risk of flare. We have developed and validated the GOUT-36 rule to help clinicians identify high-risk patients so appropriate preventive actions could be planned on the first day of hospital admission.

Key papers:

• The GOUT-36 prediction rule for inpatient gout flare in people with comorbid gout: derivation and external validation

• Development of a prediction model for inpatient gout flares in people with comorbid gout