Pascart T, et al. – In this study involving patients with gout from a cross-sectional French national cohort, researchers examined specific characteristics and comorbidities of patients with early-onset gout (EOG) vs common gout. Patients who experienced their first gout flare before age 40 were included in the EOG group (n=120), and a total of 865 patients were included in the common gout group (onset after age 40). Patients with EOG more often presented with a history of polyarticular flares, familiar frequency of flares, gout arthropathy, and tophi. The EOG group was associated with a familial history of gout, longer duration of urate-lowering treatment, higher serum uric acid levels, and metabolic syndrome. Overall, the investigators found that those in the EOG group developed slightly more severe joint involvement and earlier metabolic disorders vs patients with common gout.