British researchers have made a major genetic breakthrough in the study of gout, it was announced last night.
Some 18 new genetic variants have been linked to the disease in the research conducted at Edinburgh University and Queen Mary in London.
The researchers say the findings should help identify new treatments at a time when the disease is becoming more common as obesity levels increase.
The disease is thought to affect up to 2% of the world’s population and is known to affect at least one in 70 adults in the UK.
The latest findings come from an analysis of genetic data of more than 140,000 people collected in 70 individual studies.
The findings were reported in Nature Genetics.
The genes identified in the research all contribute to raising levels of uric acid in the blood, the process that causes gout.
Researcher Dr Veronique Vitart, from Edinburgh University, said: "Abnormal levels of uric acid have been associated with various common diseases and conditions, but causal relationships are not always clear.
"Gaining insight into the genetic components of uric acid levels offers a very useful tool to tackle these issues and to further our understanding of these conditions."
Professor Mark Caulfield, from Queen Mary College, said: "Existing therapies to avoid attacks of gout sometimes cause side effects.
"Our findings identify new potential mechanisms for gout and offer opportunities for new therapies which may improve prevention of this debilitating condition in the future."
Nature Genetics 23 December 2012
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