Gout affects up to 500,000 (1 in 30) Canadians.
Men are at least four times more likely to develop gout than women
It occurs more frequently in countries that have a high standard of living.
Men who develop gout usually do so between the ages of 30 and 50. Women are more likely to develop gout after the age of 60.

Gout has been recognized since antiquity: the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates described it almost 2500 years ago. It was previously referred to as the 'king of diseases' and the 'disease of kings' as it commonly occurred in royal families. Nowadays, gout mostly occurs in those countries with a high standard of living. For instance, it has been rare in China, Polynesia and the Philippines, but when people born in these countries move to areas with a higher standard of living their incidence of gout has also tended to increase.

This suggests that environmental factors play a major role in the disease. Genetic predisposition may also be a factor.
Gout is predominantly a disease of adult men. It is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis in men over age 40, and men have at least four times greater likelihood of developing gout than women. Gout is uncommon in men under 30 years of age, and often occurs between the ages of 40 and 50. Women rarely develop gout before reaching menopause, and more often do after the age of 60.