Global patterns of treat-to-serum urate target care for gout: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: 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 metaanalyze global T2T care for patients with gout. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Automated summary

Global patterns in gout management show low proportions of patients achieving T2T indicators. Studies in Asia and Oceania are limited compared to North America and Europe.