Clinical and Comorbidity Profile of Clinically Diagnosed Gout in Two Tertiary Hospitals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction: Gout is an inflammatory arthritis caused by hyperuricemia and is associated with substantial metabolic comorbidity. Despite increasing global recognition, epidemiological and clinical data on gout in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remain limited. This study aimed to determine the hospital-based prevalence and characterize the demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and treatment patterns of patients with gout in two major tertiary care hospitals in Dubai, UAE. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted at Rashid Hospital and Dubai Hospital between March 2025 and September 2025. Adult patients with a documented clinical diagnosis of gout were identified through electronic medical records. Demographic characteristics, body mass index (BMI), hyperuricemia status, comorbidities, and urate-lowering therapy use were collected. Hospital prevalence was calculated using the total number of unique adult patient records during the study period. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: A total of 654 patients with gout were identified among 142,682 adult records, corresponding to a hospital prevalence of 0.46%. The mean age was 54 years, and most patients were male (74.6%, n = 488). Obesity was highly prevalent, affecting 61.1% (n = 397) of patients, and hyperuricemia was present in 94.1% (n = 601). Comorbidities, including hypertension (59.7%, n = 391), diabetes mellitus (42.5%, n = 278), chronic kidney disease (23.5%, n = 154), and coronary artery disease (14%, n = 92), were common, with a higher burden observed among female patients and those aged ≥50 years. Allopurinol was the most frequently prescribed urate-lowering therapy (84.6%, n = 542), followed by febuxostat (9.2%, n = 59). Conclusion: Gout was associated with a high burden of comorbidities. Obesity was the most common comorbidity, followed by hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus, and finally, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Allopurinol was the most commonly prescribed therapy. These findings highlight gout as an important metabolic condition in the UAE and emphasize the need for comprehensive management and further population-based studies to better define its epidemiology and clinical burden.