This project is looking at the distribution of hyperuricaemia and gout in the Pacific, and also the genetic signatures which may contribute to the high prevalence of metabolic disease observed in certain Pacific populations. There is already some information that suggest that Micronesians, like Polynesians, are particularly prone to these diseases. There is archaeological evidence to suggest that gout is an ancient disease in Micronesia, so it cannot be purely ascribed to relatively recent changes in diet or lifestyle associated with modern life. What we are trying to determine is how and when these genetic signatures may have become so common in Pacific populations. The process of colonizing the Pacific and subsequent events affecting the genetics of populations in the region may have changed the frequency of markers which contribute to metabolic disease.