To determine the risk factors for gout in Togolese patients.
The medical records of patients admitted to the Lomé Teaching Hospital (Togo) rheumatology department over a ten-year period were reviewed retrospectively.
Of the 8351 study patients, 160 (1.9%) fulfilled American Rheumatism Association criteria for gout; 159 were male. Mean age at disease onset was 44 years, and mean disease duration was six years. Tophi were recorded in 35 cases and a history of renal colic in one. Only five patients (3.1%) had no identifiable risk factors. The main risk factors in the remaining patients were alcohol abuse (133/160, 83.12%), overweight/obesity (64/160, 40%), and hypertension (42/160, 26.25%); 153 patients (95.6%) had at least one of these risk factors, 58 patients (36.32%) had two, and 14 (8.8%) had all three. Of the 42 hypertensive patients, 20 were on diuretic therapy. Seventeen patients (10.62%) had a family history of gout. There was no evidence that AS or AC hemoglobinopathy (32 and 13 cases, respectively) influenced the course or natural history of gout.
Although population-based studies are needed for confirmation, our study suggests that risk factors for gout in Togolese patients are similar to those in other parts of Africa and in Western countries.