Basic characteristics of the study population
| Characteristic | No. (%) of controls* n = 122 961 | No. (%) of cases of gout* n = 31 781 | Standardized difference† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr; mean ± SD | 63.1 ± 12.2 | 63.5 ± 12.5 | 0.04 |
| Male sex | 89 978 (73.2) | 23 180 (72.9) | 0.00 |
| Follow-up time, yr; median (IQR) | 10.8 (6.8–13.6) | 10.8 (6.7–13.4) | 0.03 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | |||
| Normal (18.5–24.9) | 34 319 (27.9) | 5773 (18.2) | 0.41 |
| Underweight (< 18.5) | 1151 (0.9) | 129 (0.4) | |
| Overweight (25.0–29.9) | 37 142 (30.2) | 11 641 (36.6) | |
| Obese (≥ 30) | 14 852 (12.1) | 7597 (23.9) | |
| Missing | 35 497 (28.9) | 6641 (20.9) | |
| Smoking status | |||
| Never smoked or former smoker | 100 109 (81.4) | 26 978 (84.9) | 0.09 |
| Current smoker | 22 852 (18.6) | 4803 (15.1) | |
| Alcohol consumption, units per wk | |||
| Never consumed or former drinker | 15 143 (12.3) | 3632 (11.4) | 0.30 |
| Current 1–9 | 50 568 (41.1) | 12 181 (38.3) | |
| Current ≥ 10 | 23 819 (19.4) | 9909 (31.2) | |
| Unknown | 33 431 (27.2) | 6059 (19.1) | |
| History of falls | 3558 (2.9) | 1143 (3.6) | 0.04 |
| Charlson index | |||
| 0 | 96 284 (78.3) | 22 419 (70.5) | 0.19 |
| 1–2 | 23 377 (19.0) | 7872 (24.8) | |
| 3–4 | 2885 (2.3) | 1231 (3.9) | |
| ≥ 5 | 415 (0.3) | 259 (0.8) | |
| Medications | |||
| Glucocorticoids | 3931 (3.2) | 1506 (4.7) | 0.08 |
| Opioids | 11 269 (9.2) | 4658 (14.7) | 0.17 |
| Bisphosphonates | 556 (0.5) | 125 (0.4) | 0.01 |
| SSRIs | 3979 (3.2) | 1122 (3.5) | 0.02 |
| Statins | 8811 (7.2) | 3999 (12.6) | 0.18 |
| Antihypertensive agents | 29 634 (24.1) | 14 233 (44.8) | 0.44 |
| Antidiabetic agents | 4894 (4.0) | 1173 (3.7) | 0.02 |
| PPIs | 8339 (6.8) | 3366 (10.6) | 0.14 |
| NSAIDs | 18 892 (15.4) | 22 264 (70.1) | 1.33 |
| ASA | 14 141 (11.5) | 5735 (18) | 0.19 |
Note: ASA = acetylsalicylic acid, BMI = body mass index, IQR = interquartile range, NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, PPI = proton pump inhibitor, SD = standard deviation, SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
↵* Unless otherwise specified.
↵† Standardized difference = difference in means or proportion divided by standard error; imbalance defined as absolute value greater than 0.20 (small effect size).