A many-year investigation of 254 primary gout patients aged 21 to 78 was carried out to reveal characteristic features of a course of gout under present-day conditions. It has been established that gout is characterized by the onset at an earlier age, frequent involvement of the cardiovascular system and kidneys in the process. Coronary heart disease was detected in 43.3% of the patients, renal lesions in 44.7%. Multiple articular lesions, frequent and prolonged exacerbations and noticeable hyperuricemia were typical of the male patients under 40. Gout in the female patients was characterized by the atypical onset and a milder course.