Some aspects of the epidemiology of gout. Sex and race incidence.

Abstract

Gouty arthritis is generally considered to be a disease of the middle-aged white man. Although there have been reports of a relatively high incidence in women, 1,2 in most series of cases, women have constituted less than 10% of the total. 3-5 Most authorities also stress the relative rarity of this disease in the Negro. 4-6 The apparent population characteristics of a disease are often affected by the nature of the group served by a hospital in which a study is made, and by other factors influencing case selection. Our experience with 74 cases of gout seen at two large municipal hospitals during the past four years revealed some rather striking divergences from the usual sex and race incidence reported for this disease. It is the purpose of this report to present our observations on the incidence of gout in women and in Negroes, and to show that the characteristics