Sex Differences in the Clinical Profile Among Patients With Gout: Cross-sectional Analyses of an Observational Study

[Gout, beyond the joint: How should we treat it?]

Gout is a disease caused by the chronic deposition of monosodium urate crystals. Its clinical presentation as an acute, self-limiting arthritis and the belief that it is a banal, self-inflicted disease have led to its poor management. Despite advances in the knowledge of the disease and the simplicity of its management, no more than 30% of patients are well treated. In Spain, the prevalence of gout is 2.5% and its incidence is increasing. In the following article we will review the pathogenesis of gout and hyperuricaemia, highlighting the greater weight of genetics and renal function over diet. We will look at the consequences of crystal deposition. Gout, in addition to its joint presentation and renal involvement, has been shown to be an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Hypouricemic therapy is the most important treatment, as it is the one that dissolves the crystals and cures the disease. This requires the sustained achievement of uricemia levels below 6mg/dl. We will also review preventive and flares treatment, as well as the role of patient education in terms of both lifestyle and dietary habits and adherence to pharmacological treatment.

Unsupervised cluster analysis of clinical and ultrasound features reveals unique gout subtypes: Results from the Egyptian College of Rheumatology (ECR)

BACKGROUND

Gout comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders; however, comorbidities have been the focus of most efforts to classify disease subgroups.

OBJECTIVES

We applied cluster analysis using musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) combined with clinical and laboratory findings in patients with gout to identify disease phenotypes, and differences across clusters were investigated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with gout who complied with the ACR/EULAR classification criteria were enrolled in the Egyptian College of Rheumatology (ECR)-MSUS Study Group, a multicenter study. Selected variables included demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings. MSUS scans assessed the bilateral knee and first metatarsophalangeal joints. We performed a K-mean cluster analysis and compared the features of each cluster.

RESULTS

425 patients, 267 (62.8 %) males, mean age 54.2 ± 10.3 years were included. Three distinct clusters were identified. Cluster 1 (n = 138, 32.5 %) has the lowest burden of the disease and a lower frequency of MSUS characteristics than the other clusters. Cluster 2 (n = 140, 32.9 %) was mostly women, with a low rate of urate-lowering treatment (ULT). Cluster 3 (n = 147, 34.6 %) has the highest disease burden and the greatest proportion of comorbidities. Significant MSUS variations were found between clusters 2 and 3: joint effusion (p < 0.0001; highest: cluster 3), power Doppler signal (p < 0.0001; highest: clusters 2), and aggregates of crystal deposition (p < 0.0001; highest: cluster 3).

CONCLUSION

Cluster analysis using MSUS findings identified three gout subgroups. People with more MSUS features were more likely to receive ULT. Treatment should be tailored according to the cluster and MSUS features.

Sex and country differences in gout: cross-country comparison between Sweden and the UK

OBJECTIVE

Compare characteristics, sex differences, and management of gout in Sweden and the UK.

METHOD

The results from two separate primary care gout surveys from Sweden and the UK were compared. Participants aged ≥18 years with gout were sent a questionnaire asking about lifestyle, gout characteristics, uratelowering therapy (ULT), comorbidities, disability, and disease impact. For sex comparison, participants were pooled across countries.

RESULTS

In total, 784 (80% male) participants from Sweden and 500 (87% male) from the UK were included. Swedish patients were significantly older at gout onset, mean (SD) age 72 (12) versus 63 (13) years, (p<0.0001), with more comorbidities, and more frequent use of ULT (48% vs 35%, p=0.0005, age-adjusted). Use of alcohol and diuretics was significantly more common among UK patients, who also reported a higher number of gout flares, mean (SD) 2.2 (1.7) versus 1.6 (3.6), (p=0.003) age-adjusted. Females with gout were older at gout onset, mean (SD) age 67 (13) versus 56 (15), (p<0.0001), more often obese, and reported higher use of diuretics. Furthermore, females reported greater impact of gout, more pain and physical limitations, whereas no sex differences were seen in ULT or flares.

CONCLUSIONS

In the UK, gout was more frequently associated with modifiable risk factors. People with gout in Sweden were more commonly taking ULT and had lower frequency of gout flares and impact of gout. Females with gout more commonly took diuretics, had higher body mass index, and reported greater physical disability, which should be considered when managing gout in women.

Filling gaps in female gout: a cross-sectional study of comorbidities in 192 037 hospitalised patients

OBJECTIVE

There is room for improvement in the knowledge of female gout, often noted at risk of gender blindness. This study aims to compare the prevalence of comorbidities in women versus men hospitalised with gout in Spain.

METHODS

This is an observational, multicentre, cross-sectional study in public and private Spanish hospitals analysing the minimum basic data set from 192 037 hospitalisations in people with gout (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) coding) from 2005 to 2015. Age and several comorbidities (ICD-9) were compared by sex, with a subsequent stratification of comorbidities by age group. The association between each comorbidity and sex was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. A clinical decision tree algorithm was constructed to predict the sex of patients with gout based on age and comorbidities alone.

RESULTS

Women with gout (17.4% of the sample) were significantly older than men (73.9±13.7 years vs 64.0±14.4 years, p<0.001). Obesity, dyslipidaemia, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, dementia, urinary tract infection and concurrent rheumatic disease were more common in women. Female sex was strongly associated with increasing age, heart failure, obesity, urinary tract infection and diabetes mellitus, while male sex was associated with obstructive respiratory diseases, coronary disease and peripheral vascular disease. The decision tree algorithm built showed an accuracy of 74.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

A nationwide analysis of inpatients with gout in 2005-2015 confirms a different comorbidity profile between men and women. A different approach to female gout is needed to reduce gender blindness.

Gout and risk of venous thromboembolism: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

BACKGROUND

The association between gout and venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains ambiguous, and the results of current studies are inconsistent. A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies were conducted to comprehensively assess the associations between gout and VTE and its subtypes, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched up to June 2021, to identify eligible cohort studies, reporting the association of gout with VTE and its subtypes. We pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias tests were also conducted.

RESULTS

Five studies involving 642 632 individuals were included. Patients with gout had a statistically significantly higher risk of VTE (HR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.46; P < .001) compared with non-gout controls, and significant associations were also found between gout and DVT (HR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.22, 1.62; P < .001) and PE (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.30; P = .001). Subgroup analysis showed this association in men (HR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.65; P = .001) and women (HR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.53; P < .001) were consistent (P = .980). Meta-regression analysis revealed publication year (P = .005) and quality of study (P = .006) contributed to heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our study provided evidence that gout was associated with the risk of VTE and its subtypes DVT and PE. However, more prospective and high-quality clinical evidence is required to confirm our findings.

The Association between Water Consumption and Hyperuricemia and Its Relation with Early Arterial Aging in Middle-Aged Lithuanian Metabolic Patients

BACKGROUND

Hyperuricemia is well-known as an independent risk factor for the development of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Water is essential to most bodily functions, and its consumption rates appear to decline with age. The aim was to evaluate the influence of water intake on early vascular aging in metabolic middle-aged patients with hyperuricemia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 241 men aged 40-55 years and 420 women aged 50-65 years from the Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk (LitHiR) primary prevention program. Anthropometric characteristics, blood pressure, laboratory testing, and the specialized nutrition profile questionnaire were evaluated. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), assessed using applanation tonometry, was evaluated as an early vascular aging parameter in patients with hyperuricemia and with normal serum uric acid (sUA) levels.

RESULTS

72.6% of men and 83.1% of women drink insufficient amounts of water (less than 1.5 L per day). However, our results showed statistically significant relationships only among a group of women. The women in the hyperuricemic group had a higher cfPWV than women with normal sUA levels. In hyperuricemic women, drinking less than 0.5 L per day in combination with other risk factors, such as age, increasing fasting glucose, and systolic blood pressure, was statistically significantly associated with an increased cfPWV (R² = 0.45, Adj. R² = 0.42, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Drinking an insufficient amount of water daily is associated with increased arterial stiffness and has a negative effect on vascular health in metabolic women with hyperuricemia.

Racial and Sex Disparities in Gout Prevalence Among US Adults

IMPORTANCE

Emerging data suggest gout and hyperuricemia may now be more frequent among Black adults in the US than White adults, especially Black women. However, national-level, sex-specific general population data on racial differences in gout prevalence and potential socioclinical risk factors are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To identify sex-specific factors driving disparities between Black and White adults in contemporary gout prevalence in the US general population.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional analysis used nationally representative, decadal survey data from successive cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2016. Data were analyzed from November 1, 2019, through May 31, 2021. Participants included US adults self-reporting Black or White race.

EXPOSURES

Self-reported race, excess body mass index, chronic kidney disease (CKD; defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, according to latest equations without race coefficient), poverty, poor-quality diet, low educational level, alcohol consumption, and diuretic use.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Race- and sex-specific prevalence of physician- or clinician-diagnosed gout and hyperuricemia and their differences before and after adjusting for potential socioclinical risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 18 693 participants were included in the analysis, consisting of 3304 Black women (mean [SD] age, 44.8 [0.4] years), 6195 White women (mean [SD] age, 49.8 [0.3] years), 3085 Black men (mean [SD] age, 43.6 [0.5] years]), and 6109 White men (mean [SD] age, 48.2 [0.3] years). Age-standardized prevalence of gout was 3.5% (95% CI, 2.7%-4.3%) in Black women and 2.0% (95% CI, 1.5%-2.5%) in White women (age-adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.81 [95% CI, 1.29-2.53]); prevalence was 7.0% (95% CI, 6.2%-7.9%) in Black men and 5.4% (95% CI, 4.7%-6.2%) in White men (age-adjusted OR, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.02-1.55]). These associations attenuated after adjusting for poverty, diet, body mass index, and CKD among women and for diet and CKD among men but became null after adjusting for all risk factors (ORs, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.67-1.65] among women and 1.05 [95% CI, 0.80-1.35] among men). Hyperuricemia end point findings were similar.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this nationally representative race- and sex-specific cross-sectional study of US adults, gout was more prevalent in adults self-reporting Black race during a recent 10-year period compared with their White counterparts. These racial differences may be explained by sex-specific differences in diet and social determinants of health and clinical factors. Culturally informed efforts focusing on these factors could reduce current gout-related disparities.

A glance into the future of gout

Gout is characterized by monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposits in and within joints. These deposits result from persistent hyperuricaemia and most typically lead to recurrent acute inflammatory episodes (gout flares). Even though some aspects of gout are well characterized, uncertainties remain; this upcoming decade should provide further insights into many of these uncertainties. Synovial fluid analysis allows for the identification of MSU crystals and unequivocal diagnosis. Non-invasive methods for diagnosis are being explored, such as Raman spectroscopy and imaging modalities. Both ultrasound and dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) allow the detection of MSU crystals; this not only provides a mean of diagnosis, but also has furthered gout knowledge defining the presence of a preclinical deposition in asymptomatic hyperuricaemia. Scientific consensus establishes the beginning of gout as the beginning of symptoms (usually the first flare), but the concept is currently under review. For effective long-term gout management, the main goal is to promote crystal dissolution treatment by reducing serum urate below 6 mg/dL (or 5 mg/dL if faster crystal dissolution is required). Current urate-lowering therapies' (ULTs) options are limited, with allopurinol and febuxostat being widely available, and probenecid, benzbromarone, and pegloticase available in some regions. New xanthine oxidase inhibitors and, especially, uricosurics inhibiting urate transporter URAT1 are under development; it is probable that the new decade will see a welcomed increase in the gout therapeutic armamentarium. Cardiovascular and renal comorbidities are common in gout patients. Studies determining whether optimal treatment of gout will positively impact these comorbidities are currently lacking, but will hopefully be forthcoming. Overall, the single change that will most impact gout management is greater uptake of international rheumatology society recommendations. Innovative strategies, such as nurse-led interventions based on these recommendations have recently demonstrated treatment success for people with gout.

Adherence to 2020 to 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Risk of New-Onset Female Gout

IMPORTANCE

Female-specific gout data are scarce despite perceived differences from males in its risk factors and disproportionate worsening in disease and comorbidity burden globally. The 2020 to 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend multiple healthy eating patterns for prevention of cardiovascular-metabolic outcomes, which may also be relevant to the prevention of female gout.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the associations of dietary scores for the latest guideline-based healthy eating patterns with risk of incident female gout.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This prospective cohort study included 80 039 US women in the Nurses' Health Study followed up through questionnaires every 2 years starting from 1984. Participants had no history of gout at baseline, and the study used questionnaire responses through 2018. Statistical analyses were performed over September 2020 to August 2021.

EXPOSURES

Four healthy eating patterns: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and Prudent, plus Western (unhealthy) for comparison, with scores derived from validated food frequency questionnaires.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Incident, physician-diagnosed female-specific gout.

RESULTS

During 34 years of follow-up, we documented 3890 cases of incident female gout. Compared with the least-adherent quintile, women most adherent to healthy diets had significantly lower risk of incident gout, with multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) 0.68 (95% CI, 0.61-0.76) (DASH), 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.98) (Mediterranean), 0.79 (95% CI, 0.71-0.89) (AHEI), and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.73-0.90) (Prudent); all P for trend ≤.009. Conversely, women with highest-quintile Western diet score had 49% higher risk of gout (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.33-1.68], P <.001). When combined, the most DASH-diet adherent women with normal body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) had a 68% lower risk of gout compared with the least adherent women with overweight or obese BMI; the corresponding risk reduction was 65% combining high DASH diet adherence with no diuretic use.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These large-scale, long-term prospective cohort findings extend the pleotropic benefits of the 2020 to 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to female gout prevention, with multiple healthy diets that can be adapted to individual food traditions, preferences, and comorbidities.

Managing Gout in Women: Current Perspectives

Gout is a common inflammatory arthritis that tends to affect significantly more men than women. However, female gout patients are more likely to have comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and renal dysfunction. Furthermore, they experience a greater disease burden due to gout than males. While nonbiological causes may possibly contribute to this sex discrepancy in burden, this raises questions regarding whether current gout pharmacotherapies are as efficacious in females as they are in males. In this review, we examine how the clinical profile of female gout patients differs from male patients; we then survey the literature for data on outcomes for female gout patients treated with urate-lowering therapies for chronic management of gout as well as commonly used agents for acute flares. We also discuss considerations for managing gout in women during pregnancy and lactation.

Impact of adiposity on risk of female gout among those genetically predisposed: sex-specific prospective cohort study findings over >32 years

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the joint (combined) association of excess adiposity and genetic predisposition with the risk of incident female gout, and compare to their male counterparts; and determine the proportion attributable to body mass index (BMI) only, genetic risk score (GRS) only, and to their interaction.

METHODS

We prospectively investigated potential gene-BMI interactions in 18 244 women from the Nurses' Health Study and compared with 10 888 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. GRS for hyperuricaemia was derived from 114 common urate-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms.

RESULTS

Multivariable relative risk (RR) for female gout was 1.49 (95% CI 1.42 to 1.56) per 5 kg/m² increment of BMI and 1.43 (1.35 to 1.52) per SD increment in the GRS. For their joint association of BMI and GRS, RR was 2.18 (2.03 to 2.36), more than the sum of each individual factor, indicating significant interaction on an additive scale (p for interaction <0.001). The attributable proportions of joint effect for female gout were 42% (37% to 46%) to adiposity, 37% (32% to 42%) to genetic predisposition and 22% (16% to 28%) to their interaction. Additive interaction among men was smaller although still significant (p interaction 0.002, p for heterogeneity 0.04 between women and men), and attributable proportion of joint effect was 14% (6% to 22%).

CONCLUSIONS

While excess adiposity and genetic predisposition both are strongly associated with a higher risk of gout, the excess risk of both combined was higher than the sum of each, particularly among women.

Inequalities in enrollment of women and racial minorities in trials testing uric acid lowering drugs

AIMS

We investigated sex and racial inequalities in clinical trials testing serum uric acid (SUA) lowering drugs and analyzed the temporal trends of participation among the pre-specified demographic groups. Data were collected from publications of clinical trials testing SUA-lowering drugs. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relation between drug approval year and proportion of women and minorities enrolled in clinical studies.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The mean percentage enrollment of women in clinical trials significantly decreased over the time (r = -0.43, P-value = 0.02). Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference in mean percentage enrollment of women among trials testing different SUA-lowering drugs, with the highest representation in rasburicase (71.1%) and the lowest representation of women in dotinurad (0.8%). Over the time, also the mean percentage enrollment of racial minorities decreased, passing from 8.7% to 2.2% in a 10-year period. Women were proportionally underrepresented compared with their share of the population with asymptomatic hyperuricemia, overall (participation-to-prevalence ratio (PPR) = 0.34), in trials testing xanthine oxiase inhibitors (PPR = 0.38) and uricosurics (PPR = 0.29), and in trials with febuxostat, allopurinol, pegloticase, halofenate/arhalofenate, verinurad, lesinurad and dotinurad. Women were proportionally underreppresented also compared with their share of the population with gout, overall (PPR = 0.69) and in trials testing XOIs (PPR = 0.69), uricosurics (PPR = 0.68), and all SUA-lowering drugs excepted for rasburicase, pegloticase and topiroxostat.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis shows that women and racial and ethnical minorities are underrepresented in controlled clinical trials testing SUA-lowering drugs, with similar pattern across drug classes.

12-month results from the real-life observational treat-to-target and tight-control therapy NOR-Gout study: achievements of the urate target levels and predictors of obtaining this target

OBJECTIVES

Gout is often not adequately treated, and we aimed to apply urate lowering treatment (ULT) combined with individual information to achieve target serum urate (sUA) in clinical practice, and to identify predictors of achievement of this sUA target.

METHODS

Patients with a recent gout flare and sUA >360 µmol/L (>6 mg/dL) were consecutively included in a single-centre study and managed with a treat-to-target approach combining nurse-led information about gout with ULT. All patients were assessed with tight controls at baseline, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months including clinical examination, information on demographics, lifestyle, self-efficacy and beliefs about medicines. The treatment target was sUA <360 µmol/L and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of target attainment with ORs and 95% CIs.

RESULTS

Of 211 patients (mean age 56.4 years, disease duration 7.8 years, 95% males), 186 completed the 12-month study. Mean sUA levels decreased from baseline mean 500 to 311 µmol/L at 12 months with 85.5% achieving the treatment target. Alcohol consumption at least weekly versus less frequently (OR 0.14; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.55) as well as beliefs in overuse of medicines (OR per unit 0.77; 95 CI 0.62 to 0.94) decreased the chance of reaching the treatment target, while higher self-efficacy for arthritis symptoms (OR 1.49 per 10 units; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.05) increased the likelihood.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that target sUA can be achieved with ULT in most patients. Less self-reported alcohol consumption, low beliefs in overuse of medicines and higher self-efficacy are associated with treatment success.

Frauen und Gicht – eine diagnostische Herausforderung

Hintergrund Von Gicht sind überwiegend Männer betroffen (m:w; 9:1). Zur Diagnosestellung werden daher in der Regel die klinischen Merkmale einer akuten Monarthritis der unteren Extremität beim Mann herangezogen. Im Moment ist die Datenlage zur Gicht bei Frauen begrenzt. Bei ihnen wird die Gicht oft nicht in die Differenzialdiagnosen einer Arthritis einbezogen. Wir untersuchten daher die Epidemiologie und klinische Präsentation der Gicht bei Frauen und verglichen sie mit denen der Gicht bei Männern. In der Folge wurden die Daten auf Merkmale analysiert, welche bei Frauen die Gicht von Arthritiden anderer Genese unterscheiden und damit Fehldiagnosen vermeiden helfen können.

Methoden Retrospektiv wurden alle Patienten eingeschlossen, die zwischen 2012 und 2018 mit einer primären Entlassungsdiagnose einer Gicht (ICD-10 M10.XX) am Universitätsklinikum Dresden behandelt wurden. Es wurden klinische, laborchemische sowie radiologische Befunde erfasst und deskriptiv sowie multivariat mittels SPSS und R analysiert. In einem zweiten Schritt wurden die Daten von Frauen mit Gichtarthritis mit denen ohne Gicht (Monarthritis anderer Genese) verglichen und mittels univariater sowie multivariater Regressionsanalyse auf Signifikanz geprüft.

Resultate Insgesamt wurden 238 Gicht-Patienten (71 Frauen, 167 Männer) eingeschlossen. Frauen dieser Kohorte waren bei Diagnosestellung im Mittel 20 Jahre älter als Männer und hatten dann insgesamt häufiger mehrere Komorbiditäten: 92% aller Gichtpatientinnen litten an einer Hypertonie (Männer 74%), 84% hatten eine eGFR<60 ml/min (Männer 52%) und 40% hatten kardiovaskuläre Vorereignisse (Männer 14%). 90% nahmen regelmäßig Diuretika ein (Männer 47%). Fast die Hälfte der Frauen hatte bereits eine manifeste Polyarthrose (47 vs. 30% der Männer). Klinisch trat bei Frauen seltener die klassische MTP I-Arthritis (69 vs. 84%) auf. Der Vergleich von Frauen mit durch mikroskopischen Kristallnachweis gesicherter Gicht und Frauen mit Kristall-negativer Monarthritis zeigte signifikante Unterschiede: Frauen mit Gicht waren älter und wiesen signifikant häufiger eine Hypertonie oder kardiovaskuläre Erkrankung, einen Diabetes mellitus Typ 2, einen adipösen Habitus auf oder nahmen Diuretika ein. Bestanden zudem eine eingeschränkte Nierenfunktion sowie eine Hyperurikämie, lag mit hoher Sicherheit eine Gicht vor.

Schlussfolgerungen Die Gicht muss bei einer akuten Monarthritis auch bei Frauen in die Differenzialdiagnose einbezogen werden. Das gilt besonders ab dem Rentenalter und wenn Hypertonie, kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen, Diabetes mellitus Typ 2 oder Adipositas vorliegen und Diuretika Teil der Dauermedikation sind. Die Einschränkung der Nierenfunktion und eine Serumharnsäure von>390 µmol/l (>6,5 mg/dL) machen eine Gicht sehr wahrscheinlich.