Table 2 Frequency of gout flares during the observation period. The observation period was unique for each individual patient and depended on when the index date occurred within the period January 2000–June 2005

	All patients		sUA* >7 mg/dl		sUA >8 mg/dl		sUA >9 mg/dl		sUA >10 mg/dl
	UK	Germany	UK	Germany	UK	Germany	UK	Germany	UK	Germany
Patients with one gout flare during their observation period (%)	45.8	17.2	–	–	50.3	21.4	53.0	22.3	41.9	22.4
Patients with ⩾2 gout flares during their observation period (%)	26.2	24.1	–	–	42.8	33.3	47.0	31.3	58.1	30.2
Mean number of gout flares/patient	1.7	2.9	–	–	1.8	3.1	1.9	3.3	1.9	3.8
Mean number of gout flares/patient/year of observation period	0.38	0.68	0.42	0.65	0.43	0.67	0.42	0.91	0.58	1.97

Conversion: sUA (mg/dl) ×59.48 = μmol/l.
sUA, serum uric acid.