Background: There is little evidence of a possible difference between men and women in response to urate-lowering therapy (ULT).

Objectives: To compare the clinical characteristics of the gout course and evaluate the differences in response to ULT with allopurinol and febuxostat in men and women.

Methods: The retrospective cohort study included 279 men and 83 women diagnosed with gout (ACR/EULAR, 2015). The comparative analysis of the clinical characteristics of gout and responses to taking xanthioxidase (XO) inhibitors in representatives of different genders was conducted. We compared the gender characteristics of obtaining a positive response to ULT, defined as achieving a target serum uric acid (sUA) level of <360 μmol/l within 6 months of treatment with allopurinol and febuxostat.

Results: By the age when gout manifistated women were older than men, the duration of their disease was shorter. Men showed a shorter duration of the first arthritis attack. Chronic arthritis was diagnosed in 56% of men and 35% of women (p <0,05). The process involved the joints of the lower and upper extremities. More often the joints of the lower extremities were affected in men, and in the upper extremities in women. Tophus were detected in 35% of patients: 30,3% – men, 4,7% – women (p <0,05). Allopurinol was prescribed to 216 men and 54 women, febuxostat – to 63 men and 29 women. After six months the proportion of women who achieved the target sUA was 57,5% and 65,8%, the proportion of men – 60,4% and 76,2% for allopurinol and febuxostat, respectively.

Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of gout in men and women differ. Due to the marked increase in the uric acid level, men develop more severe joint damage because of the tendency to chronicity. However, the study did not reveal gender differences in the response to XO inhibitors, which indicates that there is no need to choose therapy depending on the patient’s gender.

Disclosure of Interests: None declared