Gout
Link between sleep apnea and increased risk of gout, according to new study
A new study, published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, has found that the risk for gout increases if you suffer from sleep apnea, a condition where your breathing repeatedly pauses while you sleep.
For the study, researchers used the records in a British health database to compare people with and without sleep apnea. They selected a total of 9,865 people with sleep apnea, who had an average age of 54, and matched them to a control group of 43,958 people without the disorder. It was found that after one year, people with sleep apnea were about 50% more likely to have had an attack of gout, compared with the control group. Continue reading
Gout patients unsure what their level of uric acid should be, study suggests
A study published recently in Arthritis Care and Research, has shed light on why gout is not always well managed by people suffering from the condition.
Gout, a painful and common form of arthritis, results from a build-up of uric acid in the body, which causes an intense inflammation that affects the big toe, ankles, feet, knees and many other joints. Patients are often prescribed drugs to reduce the amount of uric acid in the body to reduce the risk of an attack of gout. However, researchers have found that many people do not know what their target uric acid level should be. Continue reading
Drug used to prevent gout attacks may reduce cardiovascular risk, study suggests
A new study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, has found that colchicine, a drug used to reduce inflammation in gout flares, may help patients with gout from cardiovascular (CV) events.
The lead study author was Dr Daniel H Solomon, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and chief of the Section of Clinical Sciences in Rheumatology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, US. Continue reading
Gout is a chronic and progressive disease, if left untreated or treated inadequately
A new research paper has published previously unknown data that may contribute to our understanding of gout as a crystal deposition disease.
Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Elisio Pascual, at the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) in Elche and former head of the Rheumatology Unit at Alicante University Hospital, has published the study in the Nature Reviews of Rheumatology journal. The study lays the foundations for understanding how and where the formation of monosodium urate crystals occurs, something which has received little attention in the scientific community. Continue reading
Tomatoes can be a gout trigger – new study backs up anecdotal evidence
People who claim that eating tomatoes can cause their gout to flare-up are welcoming new research that suggests there may be a biological basis for their experiences.
A research group surveyed 2051 people with clinically verified gout. Of these people 71% reported having one or more food triggers, and tomatoes were listed as a trigger in 20% of these cases. Continue reading
