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Gout susceptibility 'in genes'
11 Mar 2008
A person's risk of developing gout may lie in their genes, research suggests.
Common causes of the painful joint condition have been previously linked with a bad diet and unhealthy lifestyle.
However researchers at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh now believe that a certain gene variant may increase a person's susceptibility.
The study of 12,000 people, published in the journal Nature Genetics, found that a variation in a gene called SLC2A may make it harder for the body to remove uric acid from the blood.
Uric acid is usually removed by a healthy body by the kidneys and passed out through urine; however in gout sufferers this uric acid builds up in the blood, forming crystals and causing painful joints.
"The gene is a key player in determining the efficiency of uric acid transport across the membranes of the kidney," lead researcher professor Alan Wright explained.
Meanwhile, co-researcher Harry Campbell added: "Some people will have higher or lower risk of gout depending on the form of the gene they inherited. This discovery may allow better diagnostic tools for gout to be developed."
A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that men who drank two or more sugary soft drinks per day were 85 per cent more likely to develop gout compared to those who drink less than once a month.
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