A new study in the UK found that within 2 months of a gout attack, the risk of a heart attack or stroke was twice the usual rate. The risk of developing these two diseases in the 3rd to 4th month after the gout is 1.5 times normal. So you have to pay attention to physical changes and cardiovascular health after gout.
Taipei, TAIWAN (Merxwire) – In modern society, due to changes in eating habits, more and more people are suffering from gout, and the age group that develops gout is gradually decreasing. When gout strikes, not only does it bring pain, but now it’s time to be more alert. The latest British study found that within 2 months of a gout attack, the risk of heart attack or stroke is twice the usual rate. The risk of developing these two diseases in the 3rd to 4th month after the gout is 1.5 times of normal. So we have to pay more attention to physical changes and cardiovascular health after gout.
The new study, published in the American Medical Association, looked at 62,574 patients with a history of gout in the UK’s electronic health records between 1997 and 2020. Nearly 70% of them were men, with an average age of 76.5 years. From the recorded data, it was found that about 10,500 patients experienced a stroke or heart attack after the gout attack, and the stroke or heart attack 60 days after the acute gout was twice as many as those who did not have gout during the same period. It was 1.5 times higher on days 61 to 120 after gout.
The research scholar is Abhishek, a professor of rheumatology at the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. He mentioned that gout is often accompanied by many health problems, such as high blood pressure, kidney disease and diabetes. The study was designed to understand whether gout attacks could affect cardiovascular health and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Glucocorticoids or NSAIDs are used in gout attacks, which raise blood pressure and increase the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. When gout occurs too frequently, patients have an increased chance of developing blood clots due to insufficient physical activity. In addition, acute gout represents a rapid inflammatory response in the body, which usually damages blood vessels, the heart, and the body’s metabolic organs such as the kidneys. Coupled with the effects of the aforementioned drugs, it is true that the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction will increase multiple times in a short period.
In recent years, many studies have confirmed that “high uric acid” has not only caused gout but also increases the chance of obtaining hypertension and metabolic diseases. At the same time, it will also cause joint deformation, renal damage, arteriosclerosis, and various cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we shouldn’t just prevent gout occur and reduce pain. It is more important to pay attention to maintenance in daily life to reduce uric acid values, and to prevent kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer caused by long-term uric acid.
Studies have found that when the concentration of uric acid exceeds 6mg/dL, it will start to damage our vascular endothelial cells, the blood vessels will not be able to expand or even begin to harden, insulin will be resisted, and the risk of various diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke will increase. Therefore, to prevent these diseases, we should pay attention to the hazards caused by high uric acid.
Prevent high uric acid from living habits and diet
To reduce gout attacks and prevent subsequent complications, it is necessary to start with daily maintenance of uric acid levels. Doctors recommend paying attention to a balanced diet and avoiding salty, oily, or sweet foods. The daily amount of water must be more than 2000CC, which can help with urination and prevent the uric acid value from being too high. Get into the habit of regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, to properly move your joints and muscles. Regularly measure blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fat, and uric acid levels to control risk factors. Of course, quitting smoking and alcohol and maintaining normal weight values are also necessary.
In addition to drinking more water, you should also eat more fruits and vegetables and take in vitamin C. Studies have confirmed that 500mg of vitamin C per day can help reduce uric acid levels. In addition to avoiding seafood with a high Purlin value, you should also avoid soups that have been boiled for a long time, such as hot pot soup, braised meat soup, or highly concentrated health foods such as chicken essence. The fructose in the handshake will inhibit the metabolism of uric acid, so it is recommended not to drink it as much as possible. Ethanol in beer or other alcohol will form lactic acid, and lactic acid will inhibit uric acid metabolism and should be avoided.
Cultivating the habit of regular health checks is the easiest way to observe your uric acid value, especially for those with a family history of gout, middle-aged and elderly people, overweight, eating habits that prefer meat and seafood, and people who have drinking habits, should pay more attention to their physical condition and check various values. Prevention through daily maintenance and early detection through examination can avoid the health risks caused by high uric acid and gout, and reduce the burden and side effects of long-term drug treatment on the body.