To investigate the association between gout and myocardial infarction (MI) in a representative cohort in Taiwan.
Data were collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database. Adults >20 years of age without history of MI were included. Patients were considered to have gout if they received a diagnosis of gout requiring medical treatment. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the risk of MI in gout patients.
Of the 704 503 patients included, 26 556 (3.8%) had gout. In total, 3718 (with gout, n = 463; without gout, n = 3255) patients had an MI, 299 (with gout, n = 35; without gout, n = 264) of whom died. The incidence of MI was 2.20 and 0.60 per 1000 patient-years in individuals with and without gout, respectively (log-rank test, P < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex and history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and end-stage renal disease, gout was associated with MIs [hazard ratio (HR), 1.23] and non-fatal MIs (HR, 1.26). In individuals without cardiovascular risk factors, gout was associated with MIs (HR 1.84; 95% CI 1.51, 2.24) and non-fatal MIs (HR 1.80; 95% CI 1.49, 3.95), after adjustment for age and sex. Moreover, in our study population, the HRs for MI decreased as age increased.
Gout is an independent risk factor for MI, and the increased risk of MI is present even in young people and those without cardiovascular risk factors.