Gout affects many people in the world– researchers estimate that over five million people in the United States suffer from gout symptoms according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988-1994. Gout is more common in males than females, men are three times more likely to suffer from gout than women. and the onset is usually in mid-life around 40 or 50 years old, gout rarely affects children or young adults. Women who experience gout usually do not develop gout signs and symptoms until after menopause. Additionally, it has been found that in the United States African American males are twice as likely to have gout than Caucasians.