Methods: We interviewed subjects with chronic stable gout. Health status was measured by using the SF-36 Physical (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS), and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI). Direct preference-based measures included a health rating scale (RS), the time tradeoff (TTO) and standard gamble (SG) for one's current health state with gout and current health state without gout; indirect preference-based measures included the SF-6D and the EQ-5D. Disutilities for gout were assessed by subtracting preference scores for current health states with gout from those for current health without gout and were compared between subjects rating gout as their top health concern vs. the rest of the subjects.

Results: Of the 80 interviewees, 72 (90%) were male, 55 (69%) were Caucasian, and mean (SD) age was 60 (11) years. The median SF-36 PCS, MCS, and HAQ-DI scores were 38.1, 51.3, and 0.3, respectively. The median SF-6D score was 0.65 and the median EQ-5D score was 0.79. The mean (SD) RS disutility for gout was 0.05 (0.12), the mean TTO disutility was 0.03 (0.12), and the mean SG disutility was 0.02 (0.11), but disutilities on all 3 of those measures were greater among patients rating gout as their top health concern.

Conclusion: Although physical functioning of patients with gout is often compromised, patients with chronic stable gout do not assign a large disutility to gout per se, unless gout is their top health concern.