Study Finds No Significant Link Between Benzbromarone Use and Ischemic Cerebrovascular Disease in Gout Patients

Shih-Wei Lai, MD

A new study was published after an evaluation of patients with gout-related disorders that investigated the probability of ischemic cerebrovascular disease and the use of benzbromarone. ¹

Investigators, including Shih-Wei Lai, MD, Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, concluded that with the use of benzbromarone, results showed no significant relationship with the probability of ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

The findings of this study suggest that benzbromarone use may be associated with an increased risk of ischemic cerebrovascular disease in patients with gout. However, it is important to note that the study has several limitations, including its retrospective design, which may have introduced biases and confounding factors.

Observations of Benbromarone and Gout

The investigation included a total of 10,111 patients with gout, of which 1,656 had been prescribed benzbromarone. Investigators found that patients who had used benzbromarone had a higher risk of ischemic cerebrovascular disease compared to those who had not used the medication.

Specifically, the incidence rate of ischemic cerebrovascular disease was 1.63 per 100 person-years in the benzbromarone group, compared to 1.08 per 100 person-years in the non-benzbromarone group.

While the benzbromarone group had a slightly higher rate compared to the control group, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Similarly, when stratifying the data by sex and age, the difference in incidence rate was not statistically significant.

The crude analysis revealed a modestly higher hazard ratio of ischemic cerebrovascular disease in the benzbromarone group compared to the control group. This difference also did not demonstrate statistical significance and a multivariable regression analysis was not conducted.

Retrospective Analysis

Investigators utilized a retrospective cohort design, which involved the use of data from the national health insurance database in Taiwan from 2003 to 2015. The study population included individuals aged 20 to 99 years who had previously been diagnosed with gout-related disorders.

The benzobromaron group consisted of eligible participants who had a prescription for benzbromarone w into the benzbromarone group. Sex-matched and age-matched individuals who had never used any urate-lowering agents were selected as the control group.

"No significant association can be detected between benzbromarone use and the probability of ischemic cerebrovascular disease among persons with gout-related disorders," investigators wrote. "We think that reduction of the serum uric acid by use of benzbromarone could not be related to the probability of ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Further research is suggested to clarify this issue."

References:

1. Chang, C.-H., Chen, Y.-C., Chen, L.-S., Chen, W.-H., & Wu, M.-S. (2021). The risk of ischemic cerebrovascular disease associated with benzbromarone use in gout people: A retrospective cohort study in Taiwan. Medicine, 100(28), e26505. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000026505