Gout is widely misunderstood, sometimes thought to be a minor condition that largely impacts the big toe. But more than 12 million Americans live with gout, and those painful accumulations of uric acid crystals can occur almost anywhere in the body. Experts are taking advantage of American Heart Month to raise awareness of how gout interacts with the cardiovascular system, including new research linking gout to increased risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke.
Lowering Uric Acid Lowers Risks
High levels of uric acid, the hallmark sign of gout, can not only generate arthritic pain, but significant inflammation elsewhere in the body. This inflammation can quietly damage blood vessels and contribute to vascular injury, accelerating plaque formation and clotting risk. The likelihood of serious cardiac events grows the longer gout goes untreated, but begins to lessen when gout is brought under control.
There is still a need for clinicians to continue raising awareness and educating people on the benefits of proactively treating gout for heart health. Just as regular blood pressure monitoring detects heart risks early, medications that lower uric acid levels reduce inflammation and the burden it places on the body.
Reducing Risks Through Early Intervention
Addressing gout as a systemic disease, rather than dismissing it as joint pain, supports better health outcomes. Fewer flares is reason enough to treat gout, but patients who understand the overlapping benefits of medication, balanced nutrition and exercise to reduce gout symptoms will also meaningfully protect their cardiovascular systems from long-term damage.
American Heart Month presents an opportunity to broaden public understanding of the gout–heart connection. Increased awareness, in turn, offers the opportunity for comprehensive screening, earlier diagnosis and consistent treatment. Promptly addressing gout shifts treatment from reactive to proactive, leading to a decline in irreversible damage both in the joints and the circulatory system.
