International rheumatology guidelines advocate a treat to serum urate target (T2T) approach for gout management. While individual studies have reported regional and national-level gout management, global patterns in gout care have not been synthesized. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze global T2T care for patients with gout.
Electronic databases were searched for studies reporting medication and serum urate testing in patients with gout. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine the pooled proportion of patients with gout achieving pre-specified T2T indicators.
Sixty-seven papers were included from North America (n = 31 studies), Europe (n = 22), Oceania (n = 7), Asia (n = 6), and reporting data from multiple continents (n = 1). The global pooled percentages (95% confidence interval (CI)) of patients with gout achieving T2T indicators were: 52% (45%, 59%) on urate lowering therapy (ULT), 50% (40%, 61%) on ULT receiving regular uninterrupted ULT, 53% (40%, 65%) on ULT having any serum urate testing, and 34% (28%, 41%) on ULT achieving a serum urate target.
Outside North America and Europe, there are relatively few studies about T2T care for gout management. However, available data demonstrate that a minority of people with gout receive T2T care worldwide. For those prescribed ULT, there are low rates of continuous therapy, serum urate testing, and achievement of serum urate target.