Short-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Events in People Newly Diagnosed With Gout

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the temporal association between the first diagnosis of gout and cardiovascular events in the short term.

Methods

We performed a self-controlled case series analysis and a cohort study using data from linked primary care, hospitalization, and mortality records from the United Kingdom's Clinical Practice Research Database-GOLD. We included individuals with a new diagnosis of gout either in the primary care or secondary care between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2020. The first consultation at which gout was diagnosed was the exposure of interest. The main outcome consisted of cardiovascular events (ie, a composite of fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, and transient ischemic attack).

Results

The 4,398 patients (66.9% male, mean age 74.6 years) had a cardiovascular event within at least two years of their first recorded diagnosis of gout. The incidence of cardiovascular events was significantly higher in the 30 days after the first diagnosis of gout compared to baseline (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33–1.83). Among 76,440 patients (72.9% male, mean age 63.2 years) included in the cohort study, the incidence of cardiovascular events in the 30 days after the first gout diagnosis (31.2 events per 1,000 person-years, 95% CI 27.1–35.9) was significantly higher than in days 31 to 730 after gout diagnosis (21.6 events per 1,000 person-years, 95% CI 20.8–22.4) with a rate difference of −9.6 events per 1,000 person-years (95% CI −14.0 to −5.1).

Conclusion

Individuals had a short-term increased risk of cardiovascular events in the 30 days following the first consultation at which gout was diagnosed.