Credit: Original article published here.
A study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology investigated the association between statin use and the risk of gout in patients with hyperlipidemia. Gout is a type of arthritis caused by the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints, which can lead to severe pain, swelling, and inflammation. Hyperlipidemia, on the other hand, is a condition characterized by high levels of lipids or fats in the blood, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Statins are commonly used to treat hyperlipidemia by reducing the levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Researchers conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study and identified patients who were ≥20 years who had a diagnosis of incident hyperlipidemia between 2001 and 2012. They identified 3 main cohorts: regular statin users (incident statin use, having 2 times and ≥90 days of prescription for the first year), irregular statin users, and other lipid-lowering agent (OLLA) users. The patients were followed up until the end of 2017, and the time-to-event outcomes of gout and dose- and duration-related associations were estimated using marginal Cox proportional hazard models.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first real-world study to examine the association between regular statin use and gout risk in patients with hyperlipidemia,” the researchers of the study commented. “In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, regular statin use nonsignificantly reduced the incidence of gout compared with irregular statin use or OLLA use.”
While the study found that regular statin use did not significantly reduce gout risk compared with irregular statin use or OLLAs, the authors noted a protective effect for a cumulative defined daily dose of >720 or a therapy duration of >3 years. Furthermore, the dose- and duration-dependent patterns were observed not only during the full-length follow-up but during the 5-year follow-up.
“Clinically, patients with hyperlipidemia who are prescribed statins should be highly encouraged for continual and adherent use,” the authors stated, “This might be advantageous for gout prevention.”
The authors concluded with a call for future studies to elucidate the molecular mechanism through which statins inhibit gout flare and to verify the effectiveness of statins in reducing the risk of gout between diverse populations.
