Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar;23(2):192-202.
doi: 10.1097/BOR.0b013e3283438e13.

Risk factors for gout and prevention: a systematic review of the literature

Jasvinder A Singh  1 , Supriya G Reddy, Joseph Kundukulam
Affiliations

Risk factors for gout and prevention: a systematic review of the literature

Jasvinder A Singh et al. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Our objective was to perform a systematic review of risk factors and prevention of gout. We searched Medline for fully published reports in English using keywords including but not limited to 'gout', 'epidemiology', 'primary prevention', 'secondary prevention', 'risk factors'. Data from relevant articles meeting inclusion criteria were extracted using standardized forms.

Recent findings: Of the 751 titles and abstracts, 53 studies met the criteria and were included in the review. Several risk factors were studied. Alcohol consumption increased the risk of incident gout, especially beer and hard liquor. Several dietary factors increased the risk of incident gout, including meat intake, seafood intake, sugar sweetened soft drinks, and consumption of foods high in fructose. Diary intake, folate intake, and coffee consumption were each associated with a lower risk of incident gout and in some cases a lower rate of gout flares. Thiazide and loop diuretics were associated with higher risk of incident gout and higher rate of gout flares. Hypertension, renal insufficiency, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia, diabetes, obesity, and early menopause were each associated with a higher risk of incident gout and/or gout flares.

Summary: Several dietary risk factors for incident gout and gout flares are modifiable. Prevention and optimal management of comorbidities are likely to decreased risk of gout. Research in preventive strategies for the treatment of gout is needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Financial Conflict: There are no financial conflicts related to this work. J.A.S. has received speaker honoraria from Abbott; research and travel grants from Allergan, Takeda, Savient, Wyeth and Amgen; and consultant fees from Savient, URL pharmaceuticals and Novartis.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of included studies
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Roddy E, Zhang W, Doherty M. Is gout associated with reduced quality of life? A case-control study. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2007 Sep;46(9):1441–1444. - PubMed
    1. Singh JA, Strand V. Gout is associated with more comorbidities, poorer health-related quality of life and higher healthcare utilisation in US veterans. Ann Rheum Dis. 2008 Sep;67(9):1310–1316. - PubMed
    1. Wallace KL, Riedel AA, Joseph-Ridge N, Wortmann R. Increasing prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia over 10 years among older adults in a managed care population. J Rheumatol. 2004 Aug;31(8):1582–1587. - PubMed
    1. Wallace SL, Robinson H, Masi AT, Decker JL, McCarty DJ, Yu TF. Preliminary criteria for the classification of the acute arthritis of primary gout. Arthritis Rheum. 1977 Apr;20(3):895–900. - PubMed
    1. Abbott KC, Kimmel PL, Dharnidharka V, Oglesby RJ, Agodoa LY, Caillard S. New-onset gout after kidney transplantation: incidence, risk factors and implications. Transplantation. 2005 Nov 27;80(10):1383–1391. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances