Gout Increases Diabetes Risk, Especially In Women

Recent findings published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases shows that gout could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, particularly in women.

As previous research has suggested that gout might be associated with this health risk, the magnitude of the association was significantly greater in women, according to researchers.

However, this study was restricted to the risk of heart disease and stroke in men, and researchers looked to determine if the link existed in the general population and also applied to women. 

They discovered that all those diagnosed with gout typically drank more alcohol, visited the doctor more frequently and had more health issues, in general. They also took steroids and diuretics more often than counterparts who did not have gout, according to a news release.

"When it [the rule] indicates a high probability, the physician can treat the patient as having gout," said study author Laura B.E. Kienhorst, MD, from the Department of Rheumatology at Rijnstate Hospital in the Netherlands, via Medscape. "But when there is uncertainty (an intermediate probability) about the diagnosis, the patient would require a consultation with a rheumatologist for joint fluid analysis or extensive follow-up. Physician reexamination of every patient is advisable in the case of a recurrent arthritis because there always remains a risk of missing other important rheumatic diagnoses if patients are false-positively classified as gout."

Researchers concluded that gout, a type of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes inflammation in the joints and results in a painful condition that often affects only one joint, is a high risk factor for people with diabetes, particularly women, and should receive immediate medical attention.