Association between gout and injury risk: A national retrospective cohort study

Abstract

The association between gout and injury remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the injury risk in patients with gout. Using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) from 2000 to 2010 in Taiwan, patients with gout (group CFG) and those without gout (group C) were enrolled for further analysis. The CFG group was separated into two subgroups (with and without medication) to determine whether the risk of injury was reduced with drug intervention. The follow-up period was defined as the time from the initial diagnosis of gout to the date of injury. A total of 257,442 individuals were enrolled in this study, with 85,814 people in group CFG and 171,628 people in group C. Using Cox regression analysis, group CFG showed a significant increase in the risk of injury. Traffic injuries, poisoning, falls, crushing/cutting/piercing injury, and suicides were prominent among these injuries. Furthermore, when urate-lowing drugs were used to treat the CFG group, there were no significant differences in the occurrence of injury. Patients with gout had an increased risk of injury overall, and drug intervention did not lower the risk of injury in these patients.