Gout linked to increased hip fracture risk in women

(HealthDay)—For women, a history of gout is associated with increased risk of hip fracture, according to a study published online Jan. 28 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Julie M. Paik, M.D., M.P.H., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a prospective observational study of gout and the risk of incident wrist and hip fracture among 103,799 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. Biennial questionnaires were used to assess gout history and incident cases of wrist and hip fracture.

The researchers identified 3,769 incident wrist fractures in 1990 to 2004 and 2,147 incident hip fractures in 1990 to 2012; 107 and 117 of these, respectively, occurred in participants with gout. The multivariable-adjusted relative risk of wrist fracture was 1.12 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.92 to 1.36) and of hip fracture was 1.38 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.14 to 1.68) for women with a history of gout versus those without gout.

"In women, a history of gout is associated with a modestly increased risk of hip fracture, but not significantly associated with a risk of wrist fracture," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.