Association between gout duration and subclinical carotid arterial stiffness in male patients with gout: A retrospective observational study

Gout has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but direct evidence on carotid vascular changes in patients with gout remains limited. This study evaluated carotid arterial stiffness and factors associated with arterial stiffness in male patients with gout. This retrospective observational study included 68 male patients with gout and 64 male patients with osteoarthritis as a comparator group. Carotid intima-media thickness and arterial stiffness index β (β-index) were assessed using carotid ultrasonography, and factors associated with the β-index were evaluated using correlation and regression analyses. Propensity score matching was performed for adjusted between-group comparison. In the overall cohort, the β-index was higher in patients with gout than in patients with osteoarthritis (11.1 ± 5.2 vs 8.7 ± 3.7, P = .003). This difference remained significant after propensity score matching (11.2 ± 5.3 vs 8.5 ± 3.0, P = .007), and the proportion of patients with a β-index >10.1 was also higher in the matched gout group (53.8% vs 25.6%, P = .021). In patients with gout, longer gout duration was associated with a higher β-index in crude and age-adjusted linear regression analyses ( P = .019 and P = .036, respectively) and with a β-index >10.1 in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio, 1.205; 95% confidence interval, 1.033–1.406; P = .018). Male patients with gout showed higher carotid arterial stiffness than those with osteoarthritis, and longer gout duration was associated with increased arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that gout duration may be associated with subclinical carotid vascular changes.