more likely to have cardiovascular disease (61% vs. 40%), dyslipidemia (43% vs. 29%), obesity (26% vs. 14%), and diabetes (22% vs. 17%, all p< 0.01) vs the gout-free cohort. Gout patients' lab results (BMI, BP, eGFR, lipids) deviated from normal more than gout-free controls. Gout patients incurred a significantly higher number of annual physician visits (5 vs. 2.5), lab tests (24 vs. 4.5), and had a greater percentage with specialist referrals (58% vs. 46%, all p< 0.0001) leading to higher healthcare costs. ConClusions: Gout is associated with high disease burden in a Canadian primary care setting, which is consistent with previous publications. Gout patients were more likely to have significant comorbidities, farther-from-normal lab results, and higher healthcare utilization and costs compared to gout-free patients.
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