Association of Past Smoking Status With Gout in Māori People in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Objective: Evidence for an association of smoking with gout is conflicting. We assessed associations of current and past smoking with gout in an Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) population.

Methods: Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on cross-sectional data from participants of NZ Māori (from 2 studies: Genetics of Gout in Aotearoa [GGA] study of 293 participants with gout and 431 without; and Ngāti Porou Hauora [NPH] study of 111 participants with gout and 42 without), Pacific people (257 participants with gout and 357 without), and European (694 participants with gout and 688 without) ancestry.

Results: Current smoking was not associated with gout in NZ Māori (GGA: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.54, P = 0.13; NPH: aOR 3.02, P = 0.10), Pacific people (aOR 0.64, P = 0.21), or European (aOR 0.92, P = 0.80) cohorts. Ex-smoker status was associated with higher gout prevalence in Māori cohorts (GGA: aOR 1.71, P = 0.02; NPH: aOR 7.95, P < 0.001), but not in Pacific people (aOR 1.10, P = 0.69) or European (aOR 1.18, P = 0.22) cohorts. Associations were independent of age, sex, BMI, alcohol intake, kidney function, hypertension, diabetes, physical activity, sugary drink consumption, education, and employment. No association of smoker status with serum urate concentrations was observed in participants without gout.

Conclusion: Ex-smoker status was associated with higher gout prevalence in people of NZ Māori ancestry. No association of current smoking with gout was observed across ancestral groups, raising uncertainties about the relevance of an association specific to ex-smokers.