New studies into genetic susceptibility need to be undertaken after researchers discovered that families can be predisposed to gout.
Scientists at the University of Nottingham’s Division of Rheumatology, Orthopaedics and Dermatology, UK, say now they have compelling evidence that the disease – an inflammatory arthritis – clusters within families, large-scale genetic profiling is needed.
The comments come after they found that there is also an increased risk among those whose first and second degree relatives suffer from gout.
They concluded that gout strongly runs in families after undertaking a large-scale study of 4.2 million people in Taiwan, where the disease is the most prevalent in the world.
Writing in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the scientists said their findings confirmed clinical belief that families were predisposed to gout.
They also found that in addition to the genetic risk, shared environment factors play a substantial part in its aetiology.
Lead researcher on the project, Dr Chang Fu Kuo, said: “In Taiwan the risk of an individual with any first-degree relative suffering from gout is approximately twice that of the normal population.
“The risk increases with the number of the first-degree relatives affected. The influences of environmental and genetic factors on the risk of gout are different in men and women. Genetic factors contribute one-third in men and one-fifth in women.”
Having a twin brother with gout carries an 8-fold risk, whereas having a parent or offspring with gout has a 2-fold risk, he explained.
Professor Michael Doherty, head of the Academic Rheumatology at the University of Nottingham, said the findings from the study opened new questions for future research. Further epidemiology studies, including in other countries, to identify “shared environmental factors” within families contributing to the risk of gout would further their research.
Chang-Fu K, Grainge M J et al. Familial aggregation of gout and relative genetic and environmental contributions: a nationwide population study in Taiwan. Ann Rheum Dis. November 2013. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-204067
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