According to the Health Research Council of New Zealand (www.hrc.govt.nz) Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis and is more prevalent in New Zealand than any other country. Over 160,000 patients in New Zealand suffer from gout, the majority of whom are Māori or Pacific people.
Caused by sodium urate crystals forming in and around joints (particularly the big toe), gout produces symptoms like sudden, severe pain in the joint, swelling and redness. Men are three times more likely than women to suffer from gout and up to 15 per cent of Maori and Pasifika men have gout compared with fewer than five per cent of Pakeha men.