Table 2 Main themes ranked by nominal group technique (NGT) participants
From: Gout and comorbidity: a nominal group study of people with gout
Theme | Score |
|---|---|
NGT1, 3 people: 3 male; 3 African-American; 18 votes | |
A. When gout attacks it affects my movement, to walk and work | 9 |
B. Before I got on the treatment, that I am on right now, the medicine made me sick (allopurinol associated nausea and allergic reaction) | 5 |
C. Negative response to blood pressure treatment | 2 |
D. Someone I know lost a lot of weight due to active gout that affected his other conditions | 1 |
E. During a gout attack, gout test and potassium levels went high and had to be treated | 1 |
NGT2, 10 people; 4 male, 6 female; 4 white, 5 African-American, 1 Asian; 60 votes | |
A. It affects everyday body and brain functions, movement, physical or mental; it makes me less independent | 18 |
K. Problem with misdiagnosis: It took a longer time frame for diagnosis of the actual problem in my joints, which is psoriatic arthritis, not gout | 7 |
F. More Depression/anxiety due to gout | 4 |
E. Pain of gout increases your blood pressure and messes with the heart condition | 4 |
G. Specific diet advise differs between conditions, leading to contradictions, low protein for gout vs. high protein for other conditions; With restriction for diabetes and gout, what is left to eat? | 4 |
B. I have kidney problems they had to take me off colchicine, since it was causing kidney problems; I was put on colchicine, caused gastric problems, has to be stopped | 10 |
G. I am diabetic, trying to avoid carbs; proteins that want to take to help regulate my diet, are problematic with gout; I was prescribed fish oil for lowering cholesterol but can’t take that due to gout | 3 |
J. Had problems with weight gain due to fluid retention due to gout; excessive weight gain due to steroids caused sleep apnea | 3 |
E. I have pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, it does not help | 3 |
C. It interferes with other medications and makes me tired- I take so much medicine | 2 |
H. Kidney stones were calcium oxalate only, now they are urate and calcium oxalate since I got gout | 2 |
NGT3, 5 people; 2 male, 3 female; 4 white, 1 African-American; 30 votes | |
I. My joints are so sore now all the time, wondering if they are damaged due to (gout) flares | 8 |
B. Some of the gout medications such as prednisone can cause weight gain, diabetes and affect eyesight; NSAIDs cause bleeding | 8 |
E. I did not have high blood pressure until I was diagnosed with gout- not sure it caused it | 9 |
J. Having gout makes me immobile, which makes it hard for me to loose weight | 4 |
K. New diagnosis of rotator cuff for the last 3 weeks: Gout caused it to be misdiagnosed | 1 |
NGT4, 5 people; 4 male, 1 female; 1 white, 3 African-American, 1 Asian; 30 votes | |
B. Gout treatment, in particular, prednisone caused weight gain; acid reflux due to pain medications for gout | 12 |
H. Gout putting you at risk for other conditions | 7 |
J. Immobility and inability to exercise due to gout | 5 |
K. Gout being confused with other conditions – I was tested for leg clots many times | 4 |
E. Higher dose of allopurinol made my diabetes worse | 2 |
NGT5, 4 people; 3 male, 1 female; 3 white, 1 African-American; 24 votes | |
B. Gout medicines over long period time cause renal failure, stomach upset, stomach ulcers, hip necrosis | 19 |
H. Gout crystals caused me the “kidney problem”- kidney damage – “They are like razor knives, they cut your tissue – your kidney, other organs” | 3 |
L. The medication I take caused me to get my liver checked often | 2 |
NGT6, 7 people; 7 male; 4 white, 2 African-American, 1 Hispanic; 42 votes | |
A. It affects my ability to work- “No body goes to work with gout, you have to be wheel-chaired in” | 12 |
L. Very expensive disease to control- Colchicine went from a few dollars a month to high price and co-pay overnight | 8 |
B. Side effects- Indocin can mess up your liver; Colchicine and me don’t agree | 9 |
J. It affects my ability to do my work-out regimen, I work out 3-4 times a week | 5 |
F. It affects my ability to concentrate and stay focused- When I am in such abstract pain, I can’t do anything | 3 |
L. Frequent regular visits to the doctor and the lab to monitor various levels of everything to adjust medications - Access to doctors is an issue, when I have to travel, if something happens, whom do I call? | 3 |
E. It totally incapacitates me and causes me to be hospitalized | 1 |
I. Used to have Achilles tendinitis which was due to gout- Had one surgery for my broken ankle and then others due to arthritis I had due to my gout crystals damaging my joints | 1 |
NGT7, 6 people; 1 male 5 female; 3 white, 3 African-American; 36 votes | |
A. Since you can not walk because of your pain, you are going to gain weight, and it will impact heart, lungs and body conditioning | 19 |
F. Makes me depressed | 7 |
E. It affects my eczema, when it is (gout flare) in my foot, the foot is itching all the time, and it bleeds if I itch it; it affects my blood pressure | 7 |
B. A lot of gout medications affect kidneys and liver, especially the pain medication, so you can’t take a lot of it | 3 |
NGT8 2 people; 1 male, 1 female; 2 African-American; 12 votes | |
B. Gout medication – I was allergic to allopurinol; ibuprofen and Aleve scarred my kidney | 7 |
C. Some of the medicines I can not take with my gout medicine- they interact- Gleevac and colchicine | 5 |
NGT9; 3 people; 3 male; 3 white: 12 votes (1 patient left before the vote) | |
H. Gout is causing other health conditions- I think it (can) lead to heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol problems, artery stiffness and clogging | 4 |
E. It has affected sleep and that affects my overall health- Flares as well as when the gout hurts all the time | 2 |
B. At the back of my mind, I am concerned about the fact that the medicine is affecting my body | 1 |
A. Limits going to work, activity, socializing and going out | 5 |
I. Joints wear out quicker because of gout- I had two joints repaired, in wrist and ankle | 0 |