Credit: Original article published here.
According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, gout is associated with an approximately 3 times great risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a predominantly Black population.
The association between gout and CVD has been extensively studied, and it is well established that gout is an independent risk factor for CVD, including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. However, most of the available data on this topic come from studies conducted in predominantly white populations, and there is a paucity of data on the association between gout and CVD in Black populations. “We aimed to assess the association between gout and CVD in a predominantly Black urban population with gout,” the researchers of the study wrote.
Conducting a cross-sectional analysis, a cohort of individuals with gout was compared to an age- and sex-matched control group. Clinical parameters and 2-dimensional echocardiograms were reviewed for the patients with gout and heart failure (HF). The primary outcome studied included the prevalence and strength of association between gout and CVD, while secondary outcomes included the strength of association of gout and HF categorized by ejection fraction, mortality, and HF readmissions.
The study comprised 471 patients with gout, with a mean age of 63.7 years. Most patients were Black (89%), and 63% were men. Of these patients, 89%, 46%, and 52% had hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, respectively. Compared against those in the control group, patients with gout had significantly higher rates of angina, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and peripheral vascular disease.
Furthermore, gout patients had a 7.1 times increased risk of HF. The prevalence of HF in gout patients was 45% compared with 9.4% for controls.
The results of this study have important clinical implications for the management of gout and its comorbidities in the Black population, which may be disproportionately affected by these conditions.
The study highlights the need for more research in this area to confirm these findings and develop interventions to reduce morbidity associated with gout.
