Gout Flares Linked to Short-Term Risk of Tachyarrhythmia: Study
UK: A large study using primary care records from England and Sweden found that gout flares were associated with a transient increase in the risk of tachyarrhythmias (abnormally fast heart rhythms) during the subsequent 30–60 days. The findings suggest that the acute inflammatory response accompanying a gout flare may temporarily increase susceptibility to cardiac rhythm disturbances. Clinicians may consider heightened cardiovascular vigilance in the weeks following a gout attack, particularly in patients with existing cardiovascular risk factors.
The findings are from a study published in The Lancet Primary Care by Edoardo Cipolletta and colleagues from the Academic Rheumatology Unit at the University of Nottingham.
Gout, a common inflammatory arthritis caused by urate crystal deposition in joints, has previously been linked to an increased long-term risk of cardiovascular diseases, including atrial fibrillation and other tachyarrhythmias. However, whether a gout flare can trigger a short-term rise in the risk of heart rhythm abnormalities has remained unclear.
To examine this association, researchers analyzed healthcare data from England and Sweden using nested case-control and self-controlled case-series designs.
The study included more than 260,000 patients with newly diagnosed gout in England and over 19,000 in Sweden, excluding those with a prior history of tachyarrhythmia. The team compared patients who developed tachyarrhythmia with matched controls and evaluated whether recent gout flares were linked to the onset of the condition.
The researchers reported the following findings:
- Patients who developed tachyarrhythmia were more likely to have experienced a gout flare within the previous 30 days than those who did not develop the condition.
- In the case-control analysis, a recent gout flare was associated with a 41% higher odds of tachyarrhythmia in England and a 71% higher odds in Sweden.
- No significant association was found between tachyarrhythmia and gout flares that had occurred more than 30 days earlier.
- Self-controlled analyses showed that the risk of tachyarrhythmia increased by 44% during the first 30 days after a gout flare in England and remained 34% higher during days 31–60.
- In Sweden, the risk of tachyarrhythmia was more than four times higher during the first 30 days after a gout flare and remained significantly elevated during the following 30 days.
- Most tachyarrhythmia diagnoses were atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.
- The association between recent gout flares and tachyarrhythmia was consistent across both the English and Swedish datasets.
The researchers suggest that inflammation during a gout flare may temporarily disrupt the heart's electrical activity, increasing the risk of tachyarrhythmias for up to 60 days. They concluded that patients should be made aware of arrhythmia symptoms and seek prompt medical care if they occur. The authors also called for further research to assess whether post-flare rhythm monitoring and optimized urate-lowering therapy can help reduce this risk.
Reference:
Cipolletta, E., Zverkova Sandström, T., Nakafero, G., Rozza, D., Drivelegka, P., Moroncini, G., Avery, A. J., Tata, L. J., Mamas, M. A., Dehlin, M., & Abhishek, A. (2026). Association between tachyarrhythmia and gout flare in people with gout in England and Sweden: Nested case–control studies and self-controlled case-series analyses. The Lancet Primary Care, 100170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanprc.2026.100170
Next Story