Menopausal hormone changes implicated in age-related gout
The impact of menopausal hormone changes on uric acid levels may explain why the risk for gout in women increases with age, study findings show.
“Despite the substantial prevalence of gout in the ageing female population, female hormonal influence has not been comprehensively examined,” observe A. Elisabeth Hak (Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and Hyon Choi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada).
To address this issue, they examined the relationship between menopause, HRT use, and serum uric acid levels in 7,662 women aged 20 years or older who participated in the US Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The investigators report that after adjusting for age and other co–variates, serum uric acid levels among women with natural or surgical menopause were significantly higher than in premenopausal women, with a difference of 0.34 mg/dl and 0.36 mg/dl, respectively. Among postmenopausal women, current HRT use was associated with lower uric acid levels, with an average difference of 0.24 mg/dl compared with non-HRT users.
The researchers comment: “It would be interesting to prospectively study if increasing serum uric acid trends associated with age translate into an increased risk for gout and, if so, if the trends can be explained by age-associated hyperuricemic factors.”
Journal abstract
The impact of menopausal hormone changes on uric acid levels may explain why the risk for gout in women increases with age, study findings show.
“Despite the substantial prevalence of gout in the ageing female population, female hormonal influence has not been comprehensively examined,” observe A. Elisabeth Hak (Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and Hyon Choi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada).
To address this issue, they examined the relationship between menopause, HRT use, and serum uric acid levels in 7,662 women aged 20 years or older who participated in the US Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The investigators report that after adjusting for age and other co–variates, serum uric acid levels among women with natural or surgical menopause were significantly higher than in premenopausal women, with a difference of 0.34 mg/dl and 0.36 mg/dl, respectively. Among postmenopausal women, current HRT use was associated with lower uric acid levels, with an average difference of 0.24 mg/dl compared with non-HRT users.
The researchers comment: “It would be interesting to prospectively study if increasing serum uric acid trends associated with age translate into an increased risk for gout and, if so, if the trends can be explained by age-associated hyperuricemic factors.”
Journal abstract
The impact of menopausal hormone changes on uric acid levels may explain why the risk for gout in women increases with age, study findings show.
“Despite the substantial prevalence of gout in the ageing female population, female hormonal influence has not been comprehensively examined,” observe A. Elisabeth Hak (Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and Hyon Choi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada).
To address this issue, they examined the relationship between menopause, HRT use, and serum uric acid levels in 7,662 women aged 20 years or older who participated in the US Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The investigators report that after adjusting for age and other co–variates, serum uric acid levels among women with natural or surgical menopause were significantly higher than in premenopausal women, with a difference of 0.34 mg/dl and 0.36 mg/dl, respectively. Among postmenopausal women, current HRT use was associated with lower uric acid levels, with an average difference of 0.24 mg/dl compared with non-HRT users.
The researchers comment: “It would be interesting to prospectively study if increasing serum uric acid trends associated with age translate into an increased risk for gout and, if so, if the trends can be explained by age-associated hyperuricemic factors.”
Journal abstract
The impact of menopausal hormone changes on uric acid levels may explain why the risk for gout in women increases with age, study findings show.
“Despite the substantial prevalence of gout in the ageing female population, female hormonal influence has not been comprehensively examined,” observe A. Elisabeth Hak (Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and Hyon Choi (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada).
To address this issue, they examined the relationship between menopause, HRT use, and serum uric acid levels in 7,662 women aged 20 years or older who participated in the US Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The investigators report that after adjusting for age and other co–variates, serum uric acid levels among women with natural or surgical menopause were significantly higher than in premenopausal women, with a difference of 0.34 mg/dl and 0.36 mg/dl, respectively. Among postmenopausal women, current HRT use was associated with lower uric acid levels, with an average difference of 0.24 mg/dl compared with non-HRT users.
The researchers comment: “It would be interesting to prospectively study if increasing serum uric acid trends associated with age translate into an increased risk for gout and, if so, if the trends can be explained by age-associated hyperuricemic factors.”
Journal abstract