Preventive medications taken for the joint disease gout have a clear link to a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with gout, according to a study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, and colleagues internationally.
Gout is the most common inflammatory joint disease in the world and occurs in a couple of percent of the population in the Western world. The disease causes excruciating pain attacks when the affected joints swell and become tender.
The severe pain symptoms are caused by high levels of urate in the blood and urate crystals deposited inside and around their joints. The goal of drug treatment is to lower the levels of urate in the blood, below a specific level (360 micromol/L) known to result in fewer gout attacks.
The disease is also associated with a clearly increased risk of heart attack and stroke. However, it has been unclear whether successful preventive drug treatment for gout also reduces the risk of severe cardiovascular disease.
Significantly better cardiovascular health
In the current study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers studied a group of 109,504 gout patients in the UK, with an average age of 62, who had recently started drug treatment for gout.
The participants were divided into two groups depending on treatment results after 12 months of treatment: those who achieved the target level of uric acid (360 micromol/L or lower) and those who had higher levels of uric acid.
The results show that participants who met the target level of drug treatment were more spared from gout attacks, but they also had a significantly lower risk of suffering a heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease during the follow-up period of up to five years.
The link between successful treatment with gout drugs and a reduced risk of severe cardiovascular disease was particularly clear in those who were at highest risk of cardiovascular disease at baseline.
More people should be offered treatment
Mats Dehlin is a rheumatologist and adjunct professor in rheumatology and inflammation research at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg:
"The results of our study are very positive and show that patients with gout who are prescribed the right dose of uric acid-lowering drugs have a significantly lower risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke," he states.
Study authors are researchers at the University of Gothenburg, together with colleagues in Italy and the UK. The study was led by the University of Nottingham. Mats Dehlin again:
"We need to offer preventive treatment to more patients with gout and ensure that they achieve the target level. This not only results in fewer gout attacks, but also a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.
