Study finds gender differences in gout-related heart health

09 February 2010

Women with gout appear to be more likely to have a heart attack than men with the rheumatic disease, a study has found.

Gout is a particularly painful condition that develops when urate crystals build up in the joints.

It is known to be associated with a number of other conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

Scientists at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada analysed long-term data on more than 9,500 gout patients and a further 48,000 healthy people, all of whom were 65 or older.

Over a seven-year period, 3,268 heart attacks occurred, nearly a third of which were in women.

Women with gout were found to be 39 per cent more likely than women without gout to have a heart attack.

In contrast, men with gout were only 11 per cent more likely than those without the disease to have a heart attack.

Writing in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the study authors concluded that the increased risk of heart attacks among women with gout was "significantly stronger" than that of men.

They added that the findings "provide support for the aggressive management of cardiovascular risk factors for male and female patients with gout".

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