Table 1 Baseline demographic and gout characteristics

 Age (mean years, SD)

71.2 (±10.7)

60.9 (±13.5)

<0.0001

 Race (White n, %)

219 (84)

897 (89)

0.024

 Private insurance (n, %)

152 (58)

757 (75)

<0.001

 BMI (mean, SD)

33.5 (±7.8)

31.9 (±6.5)

0.001

 Osteoarthritis (n, %)

120 (46)

256 (25)

<0.001

 Other inflammatory arthritis (n,%)

19 (7)

34 (3)

<0.001

  Heart disease

41 (16)

147 (14)

0.652

  Hypertension

201 (77)

574 (57)

<0.001

  Diabetes mellitus

73 (28)

168 (17)

<0.001

  Renal disease

64 (24)

136 (13)

<0.001

  Hyperlipidemia

120 (46)

394 (39)

0.045

  Peripheral arterial disease

2 (1)

13 (1)

0.485

 Number of days unable to do usual work/activities in the prior 3 months

11.1 (±23.7)

6.9 (±195)

0.003

  Age adjusted means

0.59 (±0.11)

0.49 (±0.13)

<0.001

 Aspirin

76 (29)

285 (28)

0.794

 HCTZ

51 (20)

105 (10)

<0.001

 Diuretics other than HCTZ

83 (32)

116 (11)

<0.001

 Family history (n, %)

180 (69)

682 (67)

0.701

 Crystal proven (n, %)

65 (25)

346 (34)

0.004

 Duration of gout (mean, SD)

6.1 (±7.1)

11.0 (±9.8)

<0.0001

 Maximum serum uric acid (mean, SD)

8.8 (±2.3)

8.7 (±2.1)

0.481

 Current serum uric acid (mean, SD)^a

5.9 (±2.6)

6.0 (±1.9)

0.449

 Presence of tophi (n, %)

60 (23)

224 (22)

0.791

 Contraindications for treatment with:

11 (10)

66 (16)

0.0.170

  NSAIDS

80 (31)

206 (20)

<0.001

  Colchicine

32 (12)

61 (6)

0.001

 Flare frequency in prior 12 months (mean, SD)

3.5 (±6.4)

3.7 (±8.2)

0.692

 Proportion of patients with hospitalizations for gout in the past 3 years

7 (3)

19 (2)

 Proportion with an ER visit for a gout flare in the past 12 months

37 (14)

118 (12)

0.275

 Proportion with an outpatient physician visit for a gout flare in the past 12 months

124 (48)

479 (48)

0.918

  ER visits (mean, SD)

0.32 (±1.17)

0.26 (1.49)

0.560

  Outpatient encounters (mean, SD)

1.40 (±2.64)

1.30 (±2.68)

0.613