Gout sufferers may be more prone to heart disease, according to new research conducted by Dutch scie...
Gout sufferers may be more prone to heart disease, according to new research conducted by Dutch scientists.
Results of a case control study showed patients with gout were more likely to have hyper- tension, high cholesterol, diab -etes and obesity ' conditions which all increase the risk of heart disease.
Gout is a painful joint condition that is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood and tissues. The research paper, written by scientists at University Medical Centre in Milan, claimed gout should be considered an early warning signal for future heart disease.
'Gout was found to be associated with cardiovascular diseases and with cardiov- ascular risk indicators, without evidence of it being an independent risk indicator itself. A gout attack should be an incentive to access the cardiovascular risk profile, when a patient seeks medical help,' concluded the report.
