Multicentre Prospective Observational Study for Identification of Determinants of Disability and Quality of Life in Patients With Gout.

The study aims to identify which characteristics are associated with disability and poor quality of life in patients suffering from gout. This is a multicentre prospective observational study carried out in a cohort of Italian patients with gout. Subjects are randomly selected from a list of patients referred to each participant rheumatology clinic in the previous 2 years. Clinical evaluations are performed at baseline, at 6 and 12 months; data are retrieved about sociodemographic variables, life-styles, history of gout, comorbidities and patterns of treatment. At each visit patients complete questionnaires assessing disability and health-related quality of life. Preplanned analyses will be performed to investigate predictors of disability and poor quality of life in these patients.