Determining the Frequency of Metabolic Syndrome among Patients with gout

The metabolic syndrome describes a group of modifiable risk factors occurring in the same individual and associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Increased serum urate concentration and gout were already recognized as important features. The aim of this study was determining the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with gout.All patients referred to Kims Hospital and St. philomenas hospital who were diagnosed with gout were studied according to the criteria of metabolic syndrome. The variables included: age, sex, weight, height, BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference, cigarette smoking, triglyceride, liver enzymes, and liver sonography. SPSS version 19 was used for statistical analysis.A total of 70 patients with gout (62 male) with mean age 46+/-14.2 years (range 75-34) years and mean period of 4.5 years of gouty arthritis, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 84% (59 patients). The prevalence of other abnormalities was:  Body mass index (BMI) >24 75.5%, central obesity 68.5%, hypertension 52.8%, fatty liver 37.2%,TG 31.4%, T2DM 12.4%,Also, 38.5% of patients had a history of cigarette smoking. The mean BMI in this group of patients was 26kg/m2.The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with gout is so high. Efforts should be aimed at decreasing the cardiovascular risk factors among these patients.