BACKGROUND: Gouty  arthritis  is  one  of  the  most  common  arthritis  in  adults  in  the  Philippines.  It  is  more  common  in  men,  although  also  seen  in  post-menopausal  women.    Its  characterization  in  the  Filipino  population  will  help  in  earlier  recognition  of  the  disease  and  administration  of 
appropriate  management.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical characteristics of Filipino female  patients  with  gout. 

METHODOLOGY: We reviewed the charts of female patients who were diagnosed with gout using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. We collected data on the demographic and disease characteristics of these patients.

RESULTS: In our cohort of 768 patients with gout, 8.82% were females. The mean age of onset was 60.25 years old, and the  mean  age  at  the  initial  consult  was  63.68  years  old.  Only  a  few  patients  had  a  family  history  of  gout  and  of  drinking  alcohol.  Hypertension  was  a  comorbid  condition in 58.21% and there was more than one coexistent illness in 20.89%. The majority presented with a monoarthritis (67.16%). The most commonly involved joints were the ankle (59.7%), knee (41.79%), and the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP,
37.3%).    On  the  first  visit  at  the  rheumatology  clinic,  most  patients (47.76%) reported less than three attacks of arthritis per year, and 14.92% had tophi. The mean serum uric acid was 8.53 mg/dL, mean serum creatinine was 1.55mg/L, and the  mean  eGFR  was  42.45  mL/min.

CONCLUSION: In  clinical  practice,  gouty  arthritis  in  Filipino  females  should  not  be  confused  with  other  inflammatory  arthritides because its presentation is classic in the majority of patients. On consult at the rheumatology clinic, at least 15%  of  the  patients  already  had  complicated  disease. Awareness of Filipino physicians of gout in postmenopausal females  must  be  enhanced  for  proper  recognition  and  management  of  this  disease.