Knowledge and Attitudes of Gout Patients and Their Perspectives About
Diagnosis and Management: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Background Gout is a chronic non-communicable disease that might lead to
multiple systemic complications if it is left untreated. The knowledge
and attitudes among patients towards the diagnosis and management of
gout are important indicators in determining the prognosis and
predicting sequelae of the disease. This cross-sectional survey aimed to
assess the knowledge, perspectives, and attitudes of patients diagnosed
with gout toward the disease pathology, diagnosis, and treatment.
Methodology An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at
university clinics and local health facilities in central Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. Two-hundred thirteen patients diagnosed with gout were selected
by non-random, non-probability convenience sampling and invited to
voluntarily participate in this survey. A structured questionnaire,
which was written in Arabic and pre-tested in a previous pilot study,
was distributed to and collected from the participants between April
2022 and August 2022. The data were entered into an Excel (version 2010)
spreadsheet. Pearson chi- square analysis was used to determine
associations between dependent variables. Statistical significance was
defined as a P-value <0.05. Results The study included 109
patients (51.2%) ≥51 years of age with uncontrolled gout (more than two
attacks), 38% of whom were males. The variation in body mass index was
not statistically significant (P=0.384). The proportions of patients
with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and osteoarthritis
were significantly different between patients with uncontrolled vs.
controlled gout (P=0.041). There were significant differences between
patients with uncontrolled vs. controlled gout in terms of age at
diagnosis and the interval between symptom onset and rheumatologist
consultation (P=0.043, P=0.043, and P=0.027, respectively). Conclusion
Patients were adequately informed about gout and its treatment. Gout
control was significantly associated with patients’ knowledge levels,
patient age, and gout therapy. There were no associations between
patients’ primary complaints and gout status at the time of diagnosis