Background/Purpose: Views about gout as a self-inflicted condition of dietary excess can contribute to stigma and lead to ineffective management strategies. Fictional portrayals of illness and medical management in film and television may perpetuate cultural stereotypes about illness. The aim of this study is to analyse fictional depictions of gout in contemporary film and television.

Methods: We conducted a search for English language depictions of gout in film and television since 1990 using the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), other internet media databases, a google search and member contributions from the Gout, Hyperuricemia and Crystal-Associated Disease Network (G-CAN). Film and television shows depicting gout were analysed (n=44).

Results: Gout was used as a plot device to represent nobility or to explain the absence of characters from important events. Characters with gout were most often male and frequently portrayed as overweight and ageing. The most commonly depicted causes of gout were overindulgence of food and alcohol (61%), and numerous dietary causes of gout were portrayed (Table). Depictions of biological causes were infrequent (12%). Common management strategies described were change in diet (36%) and pain relief (32%), with only one mention of urate-lowering therapy (5%). The majority of films and television episodes depicted gout as humorous (59%) and embarrassing (50%).

Conclusion: In contemporary film and television, gout is portrayed as a humorous and embarrassing condition, caused by dietary indulgence. These negative depictions may reinforce inaccurate beliefs about the causes of gout and its management.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/an-apple-pie-a-day-does-not-keep-the-doctor-away-fictional-depictions-of-gout-in-contemporary-film-and-television/