As gout is associated with various complications (eg, cardiovascular, pulmonary, liver, and kidney diseases), there has been a growing interest in understanding the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels, health care costs, and complications in gout patients.
A research study conducted from January 2017 to December 2021 aimed to explore the “correlation influence factor analysis of gout patients’ SUA levels, their examination fees, and various complications.” The study was published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Disease.
In this study, 17,666 patients diagnosed with gout were examined, 85.46% of whom were male. Of the study participants, 7,637 (43.23%) were hospitalized, and 10,029 (56.77%) received outpatient care. The researchers utilized quartile grouping to compare examination fees and the occurrence of complications among gout patients based on their SUA levels. Data distribution was analyzed using the kernel density estimation method, while Spearman and Mantel-Haenszel tests were employed to examine the relationship between SUA levels, examination fees, and complications. Binary logistic regression analysis was also used to determine the correlation influence factor between SUA levels and complications.
The results showed that compared with outpatients, age, SUA levels, and examination fees were significantly higher, and there were more complications among hospitalized patients. Furthermore, “Correlation analysis revealed that outpatients and SUA levels of patients with gout were positively correlated with examination fees, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, liver diseases, and kidney diseases (P<.01).”
Upon binary logistic regression analysis, SUA level was revealed to be an independent influence factor for cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, liver diseases, and kidney diseases.
These findings highlight the importance of monitoring and managing SUA levels in gout patients to reduce the risk of complications and associated health care costs. While the study provides valuable insights, further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these associations and to identify potential interventions to improve outcomes for gout patients.
