Modern Health Observation

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, U.S., have found that older age, obesity, hypertension, alcohol consumption or use of diuretics are risk factors predictive of women’s risk of developing gout, a disease produced by an accumulation of uric acid in the body, according to results of a study published in the latest issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. ”

This condition is characterized by inflammation of joints resulting from this accumulation of uric acid in the blood and, although this condition has been considered a disease more prevalent among men, more and more cases are being detected in older women advanced, the incidence has doubled in the last 20 years.

To check the cause, the researchers examined data from a study involving 2476 women and 1951 men, mean age of 47 and 46 years respectively and none of them with gout, who were followed up 52 years evaluating different parameters such as age, body mass index, blood pressure levels and blood glucose, the use of certain medications, and other more specific markers such as levels of uric acid.

After a mean follow up of 28 years, there were 104 cases of gout in women and 200 men, with an incidence of 1.4 to 4 cases per thousand inhabitants, respectively, found that women with uric acid levels below 5 mg / dl had a lower risk of developing gout, while levels were above 8 mg / dl were 46 times higher risk of developing the disease.

But in addition, the study found other risk factors such as advanced age, obesity, hypertension, alcohol consumption and diuretic use could be associated with an increased risk of incidence in women.

As explained by Dr. Hyon Choi, one of the authors of the research, and there were some specific groups of women, like those in post-menopausal age, which had a higher incidence than men, with a rate of 4.18 per thousand inhabitants.