Since this is coming from the Mayo Clinic, I think we need to take notice. I have never thought about this since I have never been bothered by gout, but it is something that many people have problems with and once the symptoms go away, most people forget about it until the next time then have gout.
Dr. Eric Matteson, MD, MPH, head of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn states, "Many people are walking around with uncontrolled uric acid levels and we used to not worry about it -- if they're not having symptoms, who cares?" This still is a problem for many doctors and patients and needs to improve. People need to be tested for uric acid levels under the following situations, people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment, help diagnose the cause of recurrent kidney stones, and when you have gout or are otherwise at risk for kidney stone formation.
New studies are indicating that people with high uric acid levels in the blood are at a 20 percent increased risk for developing diabetes. What also needs to be of concern is the 40% increased risk of developing kidney disease. This tells me that if you already have diabetes and have had gout, you need to be tested regularly to help prevent kidney disease.
Although not mentioned in the studies, Matteson says, "Now we're finding that elevated uric acid, by itself, even if you have no gout, is associated with higher rates of heart attack, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, even death due to cardiovascular disease." He also states that gout is under treated disease and advises getting uric acid levels under control, through diet or medication. He also urges people to maintain a healthy weight and that obesity is a major risk factor for all of these conditions.
Read the press release here.
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