Two in three sufferers of gout aren’t receiving the treatment they need, say researchers at Nottingham University.
The study found that GPs are only issuing prescriptions to a third of patients, when nearly half of those suffering with the condition actually qualify for treatment at their initial consultation.
Gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis causing sufferers acute pain and swelling in peripheral joints, specifically the big toe, is triggered by monosodium urate crystal deposits, a result of high levels of uric acid in the blood. It can be alleviated by urate-lowering treatment (ULT).
Researchers at the university looked into the times when patients on a large primary care database in the UK became eligible for ULT and how many of them were prescribed it ultimately. Of the 52,164 patients with gout, the average time for them to receive their first treatment for complications was five months. At their first consultation, there was a 44 per cent chance that the patient would be eligible for ULT, the researchers said, with this number rising to 61 per cent after one year, 87 per cent after five years and 94 per cent after ten years. The average prescription rate for the treatment amongst the practices studied, however, was 32.5 per cent (as stated by a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association).
“Our study aimed to estimate the proportion of patients fulfilling eligibility criteria for urate-lowering treatment since the diagnosis of the disease,” said Dr Kuo.
“The majority of patients are eligible at or shortly following diagnosis however, only one third of eligible patients received such potentially curative treatment.
“This suboptimal treatment occurs for many reasons including insufficient knowledge of the disease and its management, and misconceptions concerning its causes and its impact on patients’ quality of life and well-being.
“Our recommendation is to give full information to patients early in their clinical course at the time that they are first being informed about gout, its causes and the treatments that are available.”
If you feel that you or your loved one have not received the treatment you are entitled to for gout or indeed any other medical conditions, and want to discuss your legal options, we can help. Give us a call on 0800 999 1875 or request a call back at a time for you. Our dedicated website – www.medicalnegligence-solicitors.com – has more information about making a claim for medical negligence.