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Background/objective Demand for rheumatology care has steadily increased in recent years. The number of specialists in this field, however, seems insufficient. No recent studies have diagnosed the attributes of rheumatology training in Latin America. Methods This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. We obtained data on each country through local rheumatologists of the Pan-American League Against Rheumatism, who acted as principal investigators for participating countries. Our sample was analyzed and described through means and standard deviations or through frequencies and percentages, depending on the variable. Results Countries with the most rheumatology-training programs were Brazil (n = 50), Argentina (n = 18), and Mexico (n = 15). Ecuador, Honduras, and Nicaragua do not have rheumatology-training programs. The countries with the most available slots for rheumatology residents were Brazil (n = 126) and Argentina (n = 36). To be admitted into rheumatology training, candidates were required to have completed graduate studies in internal medicine in 42.1% of the programs. In 8 countries (42.1%), residents are not required to pay tuition; the median cost of tuition in the remaining countries is US $528 (interquartile range, US $2153). Conclusions Conditions associated with rheumatology training in Latin America vary. Significant differences exist in income and tuition fees for residents, for example, and 4 countries in Latin America do not currently offer programs. Information collected in this study will be useful when comparing the status of rheumatology services offered in Latin America with those in other countries. Most countries require a wider offering of rheumatology-training programs, as well as more available slots.

BACKGROUND Studies to date regarding hyperuricemia and gout in the postrenal transplant (RT) setting do not distinguish neither if patients with gout after the allograft had or did not have hyperuricemia before been transplanted nor if data concerning to hyperuricemia correspond to prevalent or incident cases. Among RT patients, we assessed (1) the incidence of gout in recipients with and without hyperuricemia pre-RT and (2) the incidence of hyperuricemia during the follow-up. METHODS We selected from our RT registry (1989-2003) 236 subjects who were transplanted in our institution, with at least 1 year follow-up, without gout pre-RT, with at least one measurement of serum uric acid pre-RT and two post-RT. Immunosuppressants, demographic, and clinical features were registered. Survival curves for hyperuricemia and gout were derived using the Kaplan-Meier method and were statistically tested by log rank test. RESULTS The median follow-up was 4.8 years (1.0-14.9), 43% were women, with a mean body mass index of 22.7+/-3.7 kg/m2 and a mean age at the moment of transplant of 32.4+/-11 years. The incidence of hyperuricemia was 315.2 x 1000 patient-years. Hyperuricemia was diagnosed in half of the subjects during the first year of follow-up. The incidence of gout was 19.7 x 1000 and 2.67 x 1000 patient-years in the groups with and without hyperuricemia pretransplant, respectively (Log rank 9.44, P