Ayurveda health forum

Gout Increases Risk Of Heart Attack, According To University Of Pittsburgh Study

People with gout are at increased risk of having a heart attack, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in the August edition of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

This is the first study to show that among men with no previous history of coronary artery disease, gout is a significant independent risk factor of heart attack.

Gout is a metabolic disease marked by acute arthritis and inflammation of the joints, usually beginning in the knee or foot. It is caused by hyperuricemia, a build up of uric acid in blood. When chronic or severe hyperuricemia leads to urate crystals within joints, it results in an inflammatory response that manifests as gouty arthritis.

The study also found a relationship between gout and the risk of acute MI to be present among nonusers of alcohol, diuretics or aspirin and among those who did not have metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus or obesity.