Gout Raises Risk of Heart Failure in Older Adults

A study in Arthritis Research & Therapy associated gout with an elevated risk for heart disease among older adults participating in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, reports MedPage Today . Gout also was linked to a higher risk for heart failure hospitalization with both reduced and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Previous research associated gout with coronary heart disease and stroke, and the conditions also have many risk factors in common, like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes — which also have been tied to heart failure. "If gout is associated with an increased risk for heart failure, this would support the need for interventions to prevent its occurrence in this population," the researchers wrote. In comparison with REGARDS participants without gout, those with gout were older, more likely to be black and male, more likely to have higher body mass index, and more often had diabetes, high systolic blood pressure, and chronic kidney disease. The risk for all-cause mortality among those with gout was greater among blacks rather than whites, and gout also was associated with higher risks for heart failure hospitalization among both men and women.