Epidemiology of gout and hyperuricemia in New Caledonia

Objectives: New Caledonia is a Pacific island of 270,000 inhabitants with mixed ethnicities, including Polynesians (10.2%), people from European ancestry (27.2%), and Melanesians (39.1%),. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia in the general population and the various ethnicities of New Caledonia. Methods: A 3-degree random sample of the population aged 18 to 60 years was adjusted according to the 2014 New Caledonia census. Face-to-face planned interviews and physical measurements were performed by trained nurses. All consenting participants underwent capillary measurement of creatinine; all consenting men and only women older than 40 years underwent point-of-care uricemia testing. Gout was defined by a validated algorithm. Two definitions of hyperuricemia were used: capillary level equivalent to plasma uric acid level > 360 mu mol/l (6 mg/dl) and > 420 mu mol/l (7 mg/dl) and/or urate-lowering drug treatment for both thresholds. Results: We included 1144 participants (adjusted mean age 37.7 +/- 12.0 years; adjusted sex ratio 50.4% men). The adjusted prevalence of gout was 3.3% (95% confidence interval 2.2-4.9). Prevalence was 6.7% (2.5-16.8), 4.1% (1.8-8.9), and 2.6% (1.4-4.7) for Polynesians, Europeans and Melanesians, respectively, and 1.9% (0.5-6.6) for other ethnicities. Prevalence of hyperuricemia, determined in 658 participants, was 67.0% (61.9-71.6) and 37.0% (32.3-42.0) for the 360- and 420-mu mol/l thresholds, respectively, and was significantly greater for Polynesians and Melanesians than Europeans for both thresholds. Conclusions: The prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia in New Caledonia was high, including in patients of European descent. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Socie acute accent te acute accent franc , aise de rhumatologie.

Automated summary

The study revealed a high prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia in New Caledonia, with differences among ethnic groups, particularly higher rates among Polynesians and Melanesians.