Background/Purpose: Gout and hyperuricemia are major co-morbid health issues worldwide, with a known association with metabolic syndrome.  Only one previous study based in Vietnam, has investigated the association between body composition and gout¹. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported medically diagnosed gout and laboratory determined hyperuricemia and to examine whether fat mass and free fat mass were predictors of gout in a population-based cohort.

Methods: The North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS) is a longitudinal cohort study with three stages of data collection. Each stage comprised a self-complete questionnaire, clinic assessment and Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI).  In Stage 2 (2004-06), Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans were undertaken on those aged 50 years and over. Additional data included demographics and body mass index (BMI). In Stage 3 (2008-10) participants were asked if a doctor had ever diagnosed them with gout, and a serum uric acid (SUA) measurement was obtained. Participants were defined as having gout if they had self-reported medically diagnosed gout or were taking any gout specific medication (allopurinol, colchicine, probenecid). Hyperuricemia was defined as a SUA >=0.45mmol/l. The association between reporting gout or hyperuricemia in Stage 3 and the measurements of BMI, fat mass, fat mass index, fat free mass and fat free mass index were all examined, using logistic regression analysis.

Results: The prevalence of gout was 9.6% (15.2% and 5.2%, p<0.001 for males and females respectively) and hyperuricemia was 6.8% (males vs females, 11.0% vs 3.5%, p<0.001).  The presence of both gout and hyperuricemia was not independently associated with fat mass index but was associated with all other measures.  The association with higher BMI and fat free mass index remained after adjustment for age and sex for gout, and the association with fat mass and fat mass index became significant. The association with fat free mass remained significant for hyperuricemia even after adjustment of age and sex.  When adjusted for body composition, fat mass and fat mass index were significantly associated with gout (Table 1).

Conclusion:

This is the first study of body composition and gout in a Western population. The prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia is high. BMI and body composition measurements have been shown to be predictors of gout and hyperuricemia in a community sample and may need to be considered when treating these conditions. 

1 Dao HH, Harun-Or-Rashid M, Sakamoto J. Body composition and metabolic syndrome in patients with primary gout in Vietnam. Rheumatology. 2010;49:2400-7.

Table 1: Unadjusted and adjusted association between gout and hyperuricemia and BMI and body composition

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-of-gout-and-hyperuricemia-and-association-with-fat-mass-and-fat-free-mass-results-from-a-population-based-study/