Depression and Gout: Which Patients are at Risk?

A recently published study aimed to identify risk factors for depressive symptoms among patients with gout, and to develop and validate a related predictive nomogram model.¹ Conducted over a 9-month period, the research involved 469 patients with gout from a hospital in Northeast China. Participants were surveyed using various tools, including the General Information Questionnaire, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Gout Knowledge Questionnaire, Self-Efficacy Scale for Managing Chronic Disease (SEMCD), and Social Support Rating Scale. The researchers used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to develop a depression risk prediction model and a corresponding nomogram, which they validated through bootstrap methods.¹

The study found that 25.16% of gout patients exhibited depressive symptoms.¹ Key independent risk factors for depression included being male, having multiple tophi, experiencing acute gout attacks, lacking gout knowledge, frequent past attacks, and the duration of the last attack. Conversely, being female, experiencing gout during the interictal period, having chronic arthritis, possessing good knowledge about gout, and having strong social support were identified as protective factors. They shared that the nomogram model demonstrated good calibration and discrimination, with a calibration χ2 value of 11.348 (p = 0.183) and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.858 (95% CI: 0.818–0.897).¹

In conclusion, depressive symptoms are prevalent among gout patients and influenced by various factors such as gender, disease stage, and knowledge about the condition. The developed nomogram model is both scientific and practical for predicting depression in gout patients.¹ Clinicians treating patients for gout may consider screening for, or discussion about, depression symptoms to contribute to a comprehensive plan of care.

Reference
1.        Hao X, Wang A. Development and validation of a prediction nomogram for depressive symptoms in gout patients. Front Public Health. 2024 Jul 19;12:1356814. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1356814. PMID: 39100954; PMCID: PMC11295276.