Incidence of gout diagnosis among participants with hyperuricemia, insights from a nationwide cohort study

Abstract

Objectives

To examine the relationship between serum urate (SU) levels in hyperuricemic participants and the risk of developing gout.

Methods

A retrospective nationwide Israeli cohort study used the Clalit Health Insurance database of 473,124 individuals to identify adults aged 16 or older with at least two SU measurements exceeding 6.8 mg/dL between January 2007 and December 2022. Participants with a prior gout diagnosis or on gout medications were excluded. The primary outcome was a gout diagnosis, at least 90 days after the second record of hyperuricemia. Individuals were divided into four quartiles according to their second SU level. Survival analysis using Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted to evaluate the incidence of gout across SU quartiles.

Results

301,385 participants were defined as having hyperuricemia, of whom 15,055 (5 %) were diagnosed with gout after the index date. The mean/median of the second SU level of each quartile was 6.95/6.96 mg/dL, 7.20/7.20 mg/dL, 7.58/7.60 mg/dL, and 8.62/8.38 mg/dL, respectively. Participants with hyperuricemia from the highest SU quartile showed the steepest linear decline rate of gout-free survival (log-rank test P-value<0.0001). Thirteen percent (13 %) of participants in the highest SU quartile developed gout over 10 years, also showing a steady annual incidence rate of gout of 1.3 % (in that fourth quartile).

Conclusion

Among participants with hyperuricemia, SU level stands out as the most important risk factor associated with significant increase in the incidence of gout.