According to a new study from Ireland’s University of Limerick, persons with gout are at an elevated risk of chronic renal disease and kidney failure.
They discovered that patients recruited in general practice with a diagnosis of gout were more than twice as likely as those without to suffer renal failure.
The broadest and most comprehensive study to date on this subject analyzed data from over 620,000 patients in the United Kingdom’s health system.
It also revealed that gout patients were more likely to experience a brief decline in kidney function, as well as a sustained decline in function to less than 10% of normal, when compared to those without gout.
The researchers evaluated the risk of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 68,897 gout patients followed for an average of 3.7 years against 554,964 gout-free people.
They characterized advanced kidney disease using four specific criteria: the requirement for dialysis or kidney transplantation; kidney function deteriorating to less than 10% of normal; serum creatinine doubling from baseline; and death associated with CKD.
In general, the team discovered that patients with gout had a 29% increased risk of developing advanced CKD compared to those without gout.
When they examined the risk of kidney failure and those who required dialysis or a kidney transplant, they discovered that gout patients had a more than 200 percent increased risk of kidney failure.
The study gives new light on the critical nature of gout and its possible impact on renal function.
While prior research has established that gout patients have a higher burden of renal disease, no study has established conclusively that gout can lead to the development of kidney failure.
Gout is the most prevalent kind of inflammatory arthritis, characterized by extreme pain and discomfort caused by an accumulation of uric acid in the joints.
It affects over 2% of the adult population and results in substantial pain and impairment as a result of its effects on joints, tendons, and bone.
While treatments that reduce uric acid levels in the bloodstream are helpful at preventing both acute gout flares and the long-term joint damage caused by gout, current research indicates that gout is still poorly treated in the general population.
According to the findings of this new study, gout may possibly play a significant influence in the advancement of kidney disease.
The identification of gout as a possible risk factor for renal disease and its complications opens up new avenues for prevention.
