GoutPal Interactive

The “shocking” statistics reveal that:

• 65% of adults admitted to being “not at all knowledgeable” about gout.
• Over 70% did not know that gout is a form of arthritis.
• 83% said they have not had their uric acid levels checked in the last five years, or weren’t sure if they had.
• 35% of gout sufferers said they have not had their uric acid levels checked in the last five years, or weren’t sure if they had.
• 49% of adults were not aware of the potential crippling effects of gout, such as needing to use a cane or walker, or having to stop working because of limited mobility.

But where did this data come from, and why does it matter?

It matters, because raising gout awareness might push more people into seeking early treatment. By controlling uric acid at the earliest opportunity, people can avoid or reduce the crippling effects of gout.

Such awareness would be good if it encouraged people to get wise advice on managing uric acid and safe alternatives for pain relief until uric acid was correctly controlled. It would be wonderful if the general practice doctor could be relied on for simple proven therapy that will allow gout patients to keep uric acid below 6mg/dL and live a pain free life.

We should praise the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society for pushing confirmed gout sufferers to seek treatment, and unconfirmed gout patients to seek diagnosis.

Unfortunately, experience (and abundant research) tells us that the doctor we rush to has, in many cases, little more knowledge about gout than we do.

Except, of course, they will have been primed by the manufacturers of recently released Uloric (febuxostat) and soon to be released Krystexxa (pegloticase / PEG-uricase / Puricase). They will know all about the new wonder drugs from Takeda and Savient – the very same pharmaceutical companies who sponsor the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society.