Current Arthritis News and Research » Gout

Gout Passed Across the Pacific

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:47:24 +0000

Interesting story from New Zealand discussing the possibility that high rates of gout in Pacific Islanders may be a genetic trait passed to them by ancient voyagers across the Pacific Ocean.

Dr. Hallie Buckley, from Otago University’s Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, has been studying bones from the oldest cemetery found in thePacific Islands. These remains are estimated to be 3000 to 3200 years old and were discovered on Efate Island in Vanuatu.

Dr. Hallie’s team examined the bones from 20 skeletons using radiography and other techniques and found damage to the joints in seven of them. Analysis of the damage, or erosive lesions, indicated that they were most likely caused by gouty arthritis, a build up of uric acid crystals in the joints.

The skeletons that were studied were from a people known as “Lapita”. They were named for the distinctive decorated pottery that has been found across the Pacific.

The Lapita’s diet would have consisted of plants and seafood, a diet that is rich in purines which are organic compounds that are a crucial part of DNA and RNA. This high purine diet may have set off attacks of gout in people that are susceptible.

There are scientists that have theorized that as the descendents of the Lapita people migrated across the Pacific they passed their genetic predisposition to gout on to their descendents. This is known as the “founder effect”, where a small number of people pass a genetic trait on to a large number of descendents. This could explain the high incidence of high uric acid levels and gout in many modern Pacific Island societies. The Maori of New Zealand have an incidence of gout of over 10%.

Dr. Hallie’s research was published in the publication Current Anthropolgy.

Originally posted 2007-12-27 19:54:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Tart Cherries May Reduce Arthritis Inflammation

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:47:11 +0000

We have provided numerous posts regarding the potential positive effects of foods on arthritis symptoms. Some of these include coffee, green tea, alchohol, soft drinks, fish oil, and vegan diet. So it should be no surprise when more are discovered.

Another of these foods that has been researched in recent years is tart red cherries.

A study conducted in 2003 by the University of California, Davis was the first to test for key inflammatory indicators, called markers, in blood samples from healthy people. Prior studies had analyzed sweet and tart cherry extracts in test tubes.

The primary focus of the investigation was gout, which results from the body’s inability to excrete uric acid. This excess uric acid forms crystals which settle in joints, primarily the big toe, and cause severe pain. The precursor of these crystals is urate and it was the blood plasma urate level that was being measured. They also measured the amount of urate removed from the body through urine.

There were 10 women is this study who were 22 to 40 years of age. They were given instructions not to eat strawberries or other fruits and vegetables, or drink red wine or tea for 2 days prior to the test because these foods are high in antioxidants and the researchers did not want these to interfere with the results of the cherry analysis.

On the day of the test they were given 45 pitted fresh cherries for breakfast. Blood and urine samples were then taken at 1-1/2, 3 and 5 hours afterward.

The results showed that their plasma urate levels were significantly reduced over the 5 hours following the breakfast. Likewise, the level of urate removed through the urine increased over those 5 hours.

There were other inflammation markers the researchers looked for. These include C-reactive protein (CRP), nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF).

CRP is produced in the liver and increases rapidly during inflammation. Normal levels are extremely low. TNF alpha is produced by the body when fighting tumors and may increase inflammation. NO is a biochemical that is believed to cause damage to arthritic joints.

Results from the blood draw 3 hours after eating the cherries showed that levels of CRP and NO were lower than at the start of the test. However, the TNF alpha level was unchanged.

A follow up study, which included 18 women and 2 men, was conducted over a longer period. This group was asked to consume the same amount of cherries as the earlier group, but throughout the day for 28 consecutive days.

This study reported a 25% decrease in CRP by the 28th day and an 18% decrease in NO after 21 days. The report concluded that, “supplementing the diets of healthy men and women with cherries reduced the serum/plasma concentrations of some markers of inflammation, whereas circulating concentrations of many other markers of inflammation, lipids and their subfractions, and particle sizes were not affected. The anti-inflammatory effects of cherries may be of clinical significance and should be investigated in further studies. “

Originally posted 2008-09-26 21:48:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Cause of Gout May Slow Parkinson’s Progression

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:47:05 +0000

Two recent studies have found the high levels of urate, the cause of gout, may slow, or even help prevent, the progression of Parkinson’s disease symptoms.

Urate, which is a salt formed from uric acid, is naturally produced in the body. It is known that too much urate can result in problems like gout, however, it does have powerful antioxidant properties which could protect neurons in the brain against damage.

The first study was conducted by Dr, Honglei Chen from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Dr. Chen and colleagues utilized data from a population-based group of people who were followed for 20 years. This included nearly 16,000 people between 45 and 64 years of age. Of this group, 95 potential cases of Parkinson’s disease were identified.

The researchers determined that the participants that had the highest levels of urate had a 60% lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease when compared to those with the lowest urate levels.

The results of this study were published in the Journal of Epidemiology on May 1, 2009.

The second study was led by Dr. Michael Schwarzschild and Alberto Ascherio of Massachusetts General Hospital.

The researchers used data from Deprenyl and Tocopherol Antioxidative Therapy of Parkinsonism (DATATOP) trial, which was begun 20 years ago by Dr. Ira Shoulson at the University of Rochester Medical Center. This included blood samples, cerbospinal fluid and other information covering an 8 year period. This included data from 800 people with Parkinson’s disease.

Drs. Schwarzschild and Ascherio found that there was a slower progression of the disease in those patients who had the highest levels of urate as opposed to those with the lowest levels. They suggest investigating increasing urate concentration in the as a potential strategy to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

This study was published online, October 12, 2009, in the Archives of Neurology.

Originally posted 2010-01-18 07:00:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Cause of Gout May Also Predict Heart Failure

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:46:56 +0000

A researcher looking at the relationship between gout and heart attacks has discovered that there is a relationship between high uric acid levels and heart failure.

Eswar Krishnan, MD, assistant professor of immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine, has conducted a new study looking into just what that relationship is.

Uric acid naturally occurs in the body as a byproduct of many different foods. High levels are best known as a cause of gout.

“Our study shows that high levels of uric acid significantly increase your risk of developing heart failure later in life,” said Dr. Krishnan. “The novelty is that the test for measuring this is very cheap and easily available.”

In fact, a simple $2-blood test may allow doctors to determine whether a patient is at risk of developing heart failure sometime in their future.

Dr. Krishnan analyzed data obtained from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute participants of the Framingham Offspring cohort study. That study began in 1971 and the participants were followed for cardiovascular events for 25 years.

Dr. Krishnan was looking for the relationship between high uric acid levels (levels above 6 mg per one-tenth liter) and subsequent heart failure.

There were 4,989 participants in the Framingham Offspring study, and of those, 4,912 were eligible for Dr. Krishnan’s study. There were 196 cases of heart failure recorded.

After adjusting for a long list of variables including smoking, weight, alcohol use, diabetes, kidney problems and use of anti-hypertensive medications, Dr. Krishnan found the occurrence of heart failure was significantly higher among those with high uric acid levels.

The use of a simple blood test that is currently available to physicians to determine a patient’s chances of developing heart failure could be an effective screening tool, Dr. Krishnan said. It could help doctors target younger patients who should aggressively reduce other treatable risk factors for heart failure, such as hypertension or obesity.

On the other hand, he noted that it’s not known whether medications that reduce uric acid levels could help reduce future heart failure cases. Future studies could explore this, Krishnan said.

The study appears online in August in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.

Originally posted 2009-09-15 12:03:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Gout Increases Heart Attack Risk

awesome — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:46:24 +0000

Gout is a form of arthritis that is caused by an excess of uric acid in the bloodstream. This causes crystals to form in the joints, typically in the big toe.

Results of a recent research project, carried out by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, indicates that people with existing risk factors for heart disease may have an increased risk for heart attack or stroke if they also develop gout.

The study involved over 9,000 men who were between 41 and 63 years old. They all had above average risk for heart disease, with factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking.

The researchers found that after 17 years the men who developed gout were 30% more likely to die from cardiac arrest or other cardiovascular disease than those without gout.

Not all men with elevated uric acid levels develop gout. Men in this study that had high levels of uric acid, but did not develop gout, did not have a higher risk of cardiovascular related death.

This study supports the findings in a 2004 study of 1,423 middle aged Finnish men. That research found that men with excess uric acid in the blood had a 250% greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those with normal levels.

One theory is that an excess of uric acid in the bloodstream causes “oxidative stress”, which results in the LDL cholesterol being oxidized. Oxidized LDL is viewed as more dangerous because it causes hardening and narrowing of the arteries.

Originally posted 2008-07-22 21:20:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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