Victorian-era diseases, such as gout and malnutrition, have dramatically risen in England in the past five years.

Gout, more commonly known as the “disease of kings,” is a type of arthritis where crystals of sodium urate form inside and around joints. Hospital admissions for the painful and potentially disabling medical condition have increased by 61 percent in five years, according to the Health and Social Care Information Center.

Hospital Admissions for Gout in England

Health and Social Care Information Center

While gout is often associated with excess drinking and eating, health professionals suggest it’s the increasing prevalence of junk food and obesity that is to blame for the resurgence of a disease once more associated with the time of Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. The report notes that the increase could also be down to an aging population, as age is a well-known risk factor.

At the same time, malnutrition has also shot up nationally. The number of hospital admissions for primary or secondary diagnosis of malnutrition has increased by 51 percent in the last five years. In the last year, the number of admissions for malnutrition was greatest for men aged between 60 and 69, followed by women aged 50 to 59.