Gout seems to increase the risk of two particular heart problems, says new research published in Rhematology, which outlines that people with gout have worse left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and increased left atrial volume compared to those without the disease.

 “Left atrial dysfunction and enlargement can predict the occurrence of cardiovascular events, especially atrial fibrillation and diastolic heart failure,” says Dr Kuo-Li Pan. “In our study (of 173 people), we found the more severity of gout, the larger left atrial volume.” Continue reading →

UK rates of gout have soared since the late1990s, with one in every 40 people now affected – the highest level in Europe – but treatment remains as poor now as it was then, reveals research published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The researchers used a large database of 12 million records and investigated treatment for those who already had gout and those who were newly diagnosed (within six to 12 months) to see how well their condition was being managed.

Among more than 4.5 million eligible people on the database in 2012, almost 116,000 already had gout (ie 2.5% of people). Men were more likely to have been diagnosed with gout than women and highest numbers of cases were in Wales and the North East of England. New cases were highest in people aged 80–84 years. Continue reading →

It’s historically known as “the king of diseases and the disease of kings” and was long thought to be caused by an overindulgent lifestyle, but now scientists at The University of Nottingham have confirmed that gout strongly runs in families.

Researchers in the Division of Rheumatology, Orthopaedics and Dermatology studied the whole population of Taiwan (23 million) where gout is most prevalent in the world, and published their findings in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Continue reading →