Endocrinology · Rheumatology ·
Gout linked to higher amputation risk in type 2 diabetes
A nationwide register-based case–control study of 601,541 people with type 2 diabetes found that gout was associated with higher odds of lower-extremity amputation. The association persisted after adjustment for several diabetes-related factors, although the observational design cannot establish causation.
- Gout was associated with higher adjusted odds of LEA.
- Study included 4,912 cases and 39,101 matched controls.
- Distal-site estimates were numerically higher, not significantly different.
- Observational findings do not establish causation or treatment effects.
Researchers conducted a nationwide, register-based case–control study involving 601,541 people with type 2 diabetes. They identified 4,912 people with lower-extremity amputation (LEA) and 39,101 age- and sex-matched controls. Gout was identified from diagnostic codes and records of urate-lowering therapy. Conditional logistic regression accounted for diabetes duration, peripheral arterial disease, acute myocardial infarction and late diabetes complications.
Gout was associated with higher odds of LEA after adjustment (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.37–1.69), compared with an unadjusted OR of 1.85 (95% CI 1.69–2.02). Odds estimates ranged from 1.37 (95% CI 1.12–1.68) for above-knee amputation to 1.65 (95% CI 1.32–2.05) for toe amputation. There was a significant trend across amputation levels (p=0.03), but differences between individual levels were not statistically significant.
The findings identify gout as a potential risk marker for LEA among people with type 2 diabetes. Because this was an observational study, it cannot show that gout causes amputation or that gout treatment reduces risk. The results support attention to co-existing gout in this population but do not establish a change in management.
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Diabetologia: Gout as a risk factor for lower-extremity amputation in diabetes: a nationwide, register-based case–control study ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.