Study Ties Use of Drug ‘Allopurinol’ to Reduced Risk of Death in Gout Patients

A latest study claims that the drug allopurinol helps reduce the risk of death in those suffering from gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis.

Researchers from the Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine, found that allupurinol lowered the risk of mortality by 11 percent in hyperuricemic (gout) patients. The population based study also found that the overall benefit of allopurinol on survival surpasses the impact of rare serious adverse effects.

Allopurinol is the most commonly used urate-lowering medication. The adverse fatal reaction of this drug affects 1 in 260 users and due to this most physicians are reluctant to prescribe the drug despite its potential benefits.

The researchers based their conclusion on information retrieved from the Health Improvement Network database. This database has computerized medical records that are entered by general practitioners across the United Kingdom.

The risk of death among the users of allopurinol with high uric acid and those with gout was evaluated. One of the bio markers for gout is high levels of uric acid.  A total of 5,927 people were put on allopurinol. The researchers used advanced statistical technique to trace the same number of control patients who carried similar baseline characteristics. The participants were followed until they died or till the end of the study period.

"We found that allopurinol initiation was associated with an 11 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with non-initiators in hyperuricemic patients, and a 19 percent lower risk of mortality in gout patients," lead author Maureen Dubreuil, MD, an instructor of medicine at BUSM, said in a news release. "These risk reductions were apparent from the first year and throughout the subsequent years of follow-up."

The researchers claim that this finding is important as it shows that allopurinol not just treats gout but also protects patients from premature deaths.

Rheumatic gout occurs due to the deposition of uric acid in the tissues and fluids in the body. The risk factors of this condition include obesity or overweight, hypertension, intake of alcohol and diet rich in meat and seafood. It is characterized by the onset of severe and sudden pain. It is mostly felt in the big toe. This condition has often been linked with increased risk of premature deaths.

The study was documented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.