Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, affecting around 4% of the global population.
It occurs when monosodium urate crystals build up in the joints, leading to painful flares and, if untreated, chronic arthritis and joint damage.
Colchicine, a natural compound derived from the autumn crocus plant, is widely used to treat and prevent gout flares because of its strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Recently, researchers studying colchicine for heart disease found something unexpected: participants taking colchicine had fewer joint replacements than those on a placebo. This led scientists to explore whether colchicine might also help people with gout avoid joint replacement surgeries.
Joint replacements are often caused by osteoarthritis, and because gout and osteoarthritis often occur together, researchers also investigated if colchicine could reduce joint replacement risks in people with both conditions.
In a new study from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, researchers found that gout patients prescribed colchicine had a 12% lower risk of needing a joint replacement compared to those not taking the drug.
For patients with both gout and osteoarthritis, the risk reduction was even greater—about 23%. The study was published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.
While a large-scale clinical trial would be ideal to confirm these results, such a study would be difficult and time-consuming. Instead, the researchers used real-world data from a UK database. They compared joint replacement rates between people with gout who were newly prescribed colchicine and those who were not.
These findings suggest that colchicine may offer benefits beyond just relieving gout symptoms. Dr. Tuhina Neogi, the study’s lead author, noted that this could change how long doctors recommend using colchicine. Right now, colchicine use is usually limited to the first six months of gout treatment or just for flare-ups.
Dr. Neogi also pointed out that colchicine might help with osteoarthritis even in people without gout. Previous trials of colchicine in osteoarthritis showed little effect, but those studies may have been too short or too small to detect benefits.
Overall, this research highlights the potential of colchicine not only as a gout treatment but also as a way to reduce the need for joint replacement surgeries, especially for those with both gout and osteoarthritis.
If you care about pain, please read studies about how to manage gout with a low-purine diet, and a guide to eating right for arthritis.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the link between processed foods and chronic diseases, and avoid these 8 foods to ease arthritis pain.
The study is published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
