Is the Month After Initial Gout Diagnosis a Critical Time for Cardiovascular Risk?

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In the 30 days following an initial diagnosis of gout, patients may experience a short-term increased risk of cardiovascular events, according to a recent publication in Arthritis and Rheumatology.¹

Researchers in the United Kingdom conducted a self-controlled case series analysis and cohort study using the UK Clinical Practice Research Database. This provided primary care, hospital, and mortality records for individuals with newly diagnosed gout over a 23-year period.¹ They specifically focused on the initial encounter that included the first diagnosis of gout. The authors then looked at subsequent cardiovascular events, including multiple types of myocardial infarction and strokes.¹ Within 2 years of the gout diagnosis, 4,398 patients in that database experienced a cardiovascular event. These patients had a mean age of 74.6 years and were 66.9% male. The cohort study included a total of 76,440 patients (mean age 63.2 years, 72.9% males).¹

Of note, the incidence of the cardiovascular events was higher within the first 30 days of gout diagnosis, with 31.2 events per 1,000 person-years. From days 31–730, this yielded 21.6 events per 1,000 person-years.¹ Knowledge of this data could assist clinicians in educating patients on cardiovascular risk and provide a touchpoint to encourage multidisciplinary preventative care.

Reference
1.        Cipolletta E, Nakafero G, Richette P, et al. Short-term risk of cardiovascular events in people newly diagnosed with gout. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024. doi: 10.1002/art.42986. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39279144.