THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Middle-aged and elderly men with a history of gout have a higher risk of death, including death from cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, according to a report published in the Aug. 21 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Hyon K. Choi, M.D., from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues examined whether a history of gout affected the risk of myocardial infarction and mortality in 51,297 men aged 40 to 75 years at baseline.
During a follow-up of 12 years, there were 5,825 deaths, including 2,132 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 1,576 deaths from coronary heart disease. Compared with men without a pre-existing history of gout or coronary heart disease, men with a history of gout had a higher risk of total mortality (relative risk 1.28), death from cardiovascular disease (RR, 1.38) and death from coronary heart disease (RR, 1.55). Men with gout also had a higher risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction (RR, 1.59).
"In conclusion, the present prospective data indicate that individuals with gout have a higher risk of death from all causes," Choi and colleagues write. "The present findings provide support for aggressive management of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with gout."
The study was partially funded by TAP Pharmaceuticals.
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