Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis.
It is estimated that this condition affects more than 4% of U.S. adults.
People who have gout usually have too high levels of uric acid in their blood. The acid can cause severe pain, redness, and tenderness in joints.
In a new study, researchers found that younger adults who have gout may have a higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots in their body.
The research was conducted by a group of UK researchers.
Previous research has shown that chronic inflammation increases the risk of blood clots via various mechanisms.
In the study, the team examined data from about 62,000 gout patients.
The data were from the population-representative, England-based Clinical Practice Research Datalink linked to Hospital Episode Statistics between 1998 and 2017.
They found that generally gout patients have a 25% higher risk of developing a blood clot deep in the veins called venous thromboembolism compared with people had not gout.
Moreover, in younger adults who were under 50 years old, the blood clot risk could be as high as 79%.
The team also found that the blood clot risk could increase independent of the gout treatment in these people.
Even with the standard uric-acid lowering medications, the younger gout patients still had higher blood clot risk.
The team suggests that aggressive treatment for blood clots may not be necessary for gout patients as the bottom-line risk for developing a blood clot remains low in this population.
But doctors still need to monitor blood clot development in gout patients carefully, especially in younger patients.
The lead author of the study is Alyshah Abdul Sultan from Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre.
The study is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Copyright © 2019 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
