Keele Research Repository

We read with interest the recent study by Dehlin and colleagues1, investigating the validity of a gout diagnosis in primary care. We have also investigated how a primary care diagnosis of gout compares to a primary care diagnostic rule for gout and to classification criteria. Our objective was to determine the proportion of patients with a primary care diagnosis of gout who fulfilled the primary care diagnostic rule by Janssens, et al for acute gouty arthritis2 and the 1977 American Rheumatism Association (ARA) criteria for the classification of acute arthritis of primary gout3.