Urate-lowering therapy may mitigate the risks of hospitalized stroke and mortality in patients with gout

Objectives Although studies have demonstrated the association of hyperuricemia with cardiovascular (CV) diseases, few have explored the effect of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) on the incidence of CV diseases. Therefore, we compared the risks of hospitalized coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, heart failure (HF), and all-cause mortality between ULT users and nonusers among patients with gout. Methods We performed this retrospective cohort study using Taiwan’s population-based National Health Insurance Research Database. In total, 5218 patients with gout were included from 2000 to 2012. We compared the incidence rates (IRs) of hospitalized CAD, stroke, HF, and all-cause mortality between ULT users and matched nonusers. Results The IRs of hospitalized stroke were 0.6 and 1.0 per 100 person-years for ULT users and nonusers, respectively, after adjusting for age, sex, residence, comorbidities, and medications. ULT users showed lower adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for hospitalized stroke (aHR: 0.52, p < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (aHR: 0.6, p = 0.02) than nonusers. Subgroup analyses revealed that uricosuric agents and xanthine oxidase inhibitors were significantly associated with lower risks of hospitalized stroke and all-cause mortality, respectively. The effect of uricosuric agents on the decrease in hospitalized stroke risk indicated a dose–response relationship. Conclusions Our study showed lower risks of hospitalized stroke and all-cause mortality in ULT users than in nonusers among patients with gout. Therefore, patients with gout may receive ULT to mitigate the risks of hospitalized stroke and mortality.