Rheumatology · Gastroenterology · 1 h ago
Gout-associated liver stiffness differences were explained by age and adiposity
A single-center cross-sectional study compared transient elastography findings in 201 adults with gout and 80 metabolically stringent controls. Although steatosis and increased liver stiffness were more common in unadjusted comparisons, gout status was not independently associated with elastographic outcomes after adjustment.
- Gout participants had higher unadjusted CAP and liver stiffness.
- Gout was not independently associated with adjusted elastography outcomes.
- BMI and age were key determinants of liver stiffness.
- Cross-sectional findings do not establish a screening strategy.
Researchers conducted a single-center cross-sectional study from April 2024 to January 2026, using vibration-controlled transient elastography in 201 adults with gout and 80 controls without hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or coronary artery disease. Outcomes included controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), a measure of steatosis, and liver stiffness measurement (LSM). Regression models assessed factors associated with these measures and threshold-defined outcomes.
Median CAP was 279 dB/m in the gout group and 251.5 dB/m in controls; median LSM was 6.1 versus 5.1 kPa (both p<0.001). Before adjustment, gout was associated with higher odds of steatosis (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.40–4.20) and LSM ≥7.0 kPa (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.27–4.78). After adjustment, gout status was not independently associated with these outcomes or with continuous CAP or LSM. BMI and ALT were principal determinants of CAP; BMI and age predicted LSM. Uric acid and gout activity measures were not associated with elastographic results.
The findings suggest that the greater unadjusted liver-measure burden among participants with gout was largely accounted for by age and adiposity. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, and the metabolically stringent control group may limit generalizability. The results do not establish a screening strategy or justify changing care on the basis of gout diagnosis alone.
In practice
In adults with gout, this study found more steatosis and higher liver stiffness on unadjusted comparisons with metabolically stringent controls, but gout itself was not independently associated with elastography outcomes after adjustment. BMI, age and, for CAP, ALT accounted for key differences. These cross-sectional data do not show that gout causes liver disease or establish when to test patients. They suggest the findings do not support using gout diagnosis alone as a basis for liver assessment; applicability is limited by the single-center design and selected controls.
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Clinical Rheumatology: Hepatic steatosis and liver stiffness in patients with gout: a controlled cross-sectional elastography 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.