Gout can come and go, but there are treatments — and the study’s authors believe that misconceptions can discourage people from taking these treatments. This is a real problem with cases where the disease keeps rising.
“This widespread myth causes shame in people with gout, making some more likely to suffer in silence and not see the doctor for a preventative medication that reduces urate in the blood and prevents their pain,” Merriman said.
In addition to providing us with a better understanding of the causes of gout, the study gives scientists more options to explore when it comes to treatments, including managing the body’s immune response to uric acid buildup. In fact, existing drugs could be repurposed for this work.
The study has some limitations: the majority of the data came from people of European ancestry, and some records relied on self-reporting of gout rather than a clinical diagnosis. Nevertheless, it gives us a much better idea of a health problem that has plagued people for centuries.
“We hope that over time, better and more accessible treatments will be available with the new targets we have identified,” Merriman said. “Gout deserves more health resources and a higher priority in the health care system.”
The research was published in Nature Genetics
