The Philippine Rheumatology Association (PRA) recently said that 1.6 million Filipinos are suffering from gout, a painful and potentially debilitating type of inflammatory arthritis.
PRA president Eric Amante said at the launch of the PRA Gout Awareness Campaign that this number is expected to increase in the coming years, as a result of the unhealthy lifestyle choices – such as alcohol consumption and eating foods high in purine – of many Filipinos; particularly Filipino males.
“It’s 1.6 million but if you look at the prevalence in the Philippines, it’s increasing in the past two decades. We have a lot of young breadwinners who have gout and I think it is very important to remember that this is a chronic illness,” he said.
Amante noted that although gout is not fatal, it is extremely painful, and could affect one’s quality of life, as well as lead to depression, interfere with work, and cause many other health complications.
“We encourage the public to visit a rheumatologist, aside from their usual physicians. Gout can be controlled easily with medication and proper treatment and diet. We can normalize the uric acid,” Amante encouraged.