Rheumatoid arthritis and gout: a rare combination or overlooked coexistence?
Main finding · Gout prevalenceResult — go to the resultOdds ratio 2.67 95% CI 1.95–3.67Authors' conclusion
RA and gout may overlap more than previously recognized, with stronger genetic evidence in SNRA. No causal effect on SUA suggests the link may not primarily involve urate pathways. Transcriptomic overlap in interferon signaling indicates potential molecular intersections
Study context
- Population
- US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants, 2007–2018NHANES 2007–2018
- Participants
- 19,705 participants
- Exposure
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) vs matched controls
- Outcome
- Gout prevalence in RA
Methodological detailsNHANES 2007–2018, propensity score matching, weighted multivariate logistic regression, restricted cubic spline analysis, two-sample mendelian randomization (MR) (genome-wide association study (GWAS) data), Bonferroni correction, differential expression and WGCNA (Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO))
- NHANES 2007–2018
- Propensity score matching
- Weighted multivariate logistic regression
- Restricted cubic spline analysis
- Two-sample MR (GWAS data), Bonferroni correction
- Differential expression and WGCNA (GEO)
Main finding
Gout prevalence
Odds ratio
2.67
95% CI 1.95–3.67
P < 0.001
By group
RAvs Matched controls
OR 2.67 (95% CI 1.95–3.67); P < 0.001
As reported in the abstract
- Increasing trend over time in gout prevalence among RA
- P = 0.006
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
MR: causal effect of Seronegative RA (SNRA) on gout
| OR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| SNRAAfter Bonferroni correction; strongest of RA subtypes | 1.132 (1.044–1.227) | P = 0.003 | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
Nonlinear serum urate (SUA)-gout association in RA (restricted cubic spline (RCS))
- Nonlinear SUA-gout association in RA
- P < 0.05
MR: causal effect of SNRA on gout
- MR supported a causal effect of RA on gout
- No effect found for Seropositive RA (SPRA) on gout or for RA, SNRA and SPRA on SUA
Shared RA-gout genes (bioinformatics)
- Shared RA-gout genes, enriched in interferon signalling, immune activation and antiviral defence pathways
- 207
- Hub genes: RSAD2, DDX60, IFIT1, IFIT3, XAF1
- 5
Original publication
Rheumatoid arthritis and gout: a rare combination or overlooked coexistence? Arthritis Res Ther. Published 26 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →