Nutrient Intake and Diet Quality in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gout Arthritis Patients at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and gouty arthritis (GA) are chronic inflammatory joint diseases influenced by dietary patterns. High-purine diets exacerbate GA, while pro-inflammatory diets may worsen RA. This study aimed to assess the nutrient intake and diet quality of RA and GA patients based on the Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI) 2017, Malaysian Dietary Guidelines (MDG) 2020 and Standardised Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (S-MHEI) 2021. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 40 adults (20 RA, 20 GA) aged 18-60 years, recruited online and face-to-face. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and 3-day dietary records were collected. Nutrient analysis was performed using Nutritionist Pro 2007, and diet quality was assessed using the S-MHEI 2021. Most RA patients were Malay women (100%), while GA patients were predominantly Malay (75%) and male (85%). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.22 ± 5.24 kg/m2² for RA and 31.90 ± 7.11 kg/m2 for GA, indicating high overweight and obesity prevalence. Energy and carbohydrate intakes were below RNI recommendations, whereas protein, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium intakes exceeded them. Calcium and fibre intake were inadequate. Most RA and GA patients (85%) had moderate diet quality based on the S-MHEI. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified high-fat/high-sodium and grain/dairy patterns among RA patients. Among GA patients, two patterns emerged: a high-purine pattern with high meat, egg, and legume intake and low fruit intake, and a high-vegetable/high-fat pattern. In conclusion, nutrient intake and diet quality of RA and GA patients did not fully comply with national dietary guidelines.