What does a disease that inflames your joints have to do with an erratic heart rhythm? Quite a lot, it turns out. Researchers have discovered thatpeople with gout患心房纤颤(AFib)的风险增加。
One recent study analyzed a sample of Medicare claims data from more than 1.6 million people ages 65 and older. Those with gout were up to 90 percent more likely to be diagnosed with AFib than those without gout. The risk was particularly high among elderly adults.
The potential link between the two conditions underscores the need for gout patients to pay attention to theirheart health.
链接的背后是什么?
痛风和AFib之间最明显的联系是炎症。全身炎症是这两种疾病的标志。The two conditions also share a number of risk factors, includingobesity, high blood pressure, anddiabetes.
Uric acid is another factor AFib and gout have in common. Gout occurs when high uric acid levels in the blood cause hard crystals to form around joints.Uric acidis a marker for cardiovascular risk and inflammation, and increased levels have been independently linked to AFib.
尽管如此，研究人员仍很难证明痛风与afib联系的确切原因。炎症会是潜在的联系吗?当然。尿酸会是炎症的诱因吗?当然。还有其他因素吗?当然可以，”医学博士、公共卫生硕士、阿拉巴马大学医学和流行病学教授、医疗保险索赔研究的合著者Jasvinder Singh说。“我们需要调查所有这些途径，以便更好地理解这一点。”
Getting a Diagnosis
If you have gout, you need to think about your heart health. Having AFib can increase your risk for serious conditions like blood clots, heart failure, and stroke.
“I think the practical implication is that rheumatologists and primary care doctors should keep a heightened suspicion for arrhythmias [abnormal heart rhythms] in people with gout,” Dr. Singh says. Vigilance is particularly important for people who have other AFib risk factors, such as high blood pressure or coronary artery disease.
Your primary care doctor or cardiologist can diagnose AFib with an electrocardiogram (EKG), Holter monitor, and other tests. If you have the condition,treatmentsinclude medicines and devices to control your heart rate and rhythm, and drugs to prevent blood clots from forming.
Treating Gout to Protect Your Heart
The samemedications that treat goutmight do double duty by lowering your AFib risk. In a 2016 study Dr. Singh also co-authored, older adults who took allopurinol had a 17 percent lower risk of AFib. Among those who took the drug for more than 2 years, the risk dropped by 35 percent. Colchicine is also being investigated for lowering AFib risk.
The trouble is, less than half of people with gout stick to their treatment regimen, putting both their joints and heart at risk. “These studies are increasingly making the case that if patients have gout, they should get treatment for it. Treatment might also protect them from the cardiac condition,” Dr. Singh says.
