Obesity Associated With Earlier Age at Gout Onset

Obesity, a strong risk factor for gout, is associated with an earlier age at gout onset. In addition, the risk of gout is increased with obesity in women as well as in men.

DeMarco and colleagues evaluated 15,533 patients with a diagnosis of gout in a longitudinal community-based cohort. Body mass index at baseline and at age 21 years were calculated. The 18-year risk of incident gout associated with baseline obesity was assessed with cumulative incidence ratios.

The age at gout onset was younger in patients who were obese at baseline (57.1 vs 60.2 years) and in patients who were obese at age 21 years (49.2 years vs 60.1 years) than in those who were not; the latter association persisted for both men and women. In a fully adjusted model, the risk of gout was almost 2 times higher for patients who were obese at baseline than for those who were not, and an increased risk of gout was observed for patients who were obese at age 21 years.

The authors noted that their findings suggest that in the clinical setting, gout should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute arthritis in obese men and women at all ages.

Comments about/problems with this article? Please send feedback.