The coexistent of gouty arthritis and hypertension
If you’re suffering from gout, it’s incredibly likely that you’re taking medications for high blood pressure. Depending on what statistics you look at… anywhere from 20-70% of individuals with high blood pressure tend to have elevated uric acid levels.
Uric acid levels are what are targeted conventionally in addressing and preventing gouty arthritic attacks.
The higher statistics represent those already on hypertensive medications, likely owed the effect of certain blood pressure medications on uric acid regulation.
Medications that increase uric acid
There are several different types of medications used to control blood pressure, but there’s one we need to shine some light on for those of you out there dealing with gout.
That is the diuretic. Names you may of heard of include Microzide and Lasix.
The majority of individuals with gout have trouble regulating their uric acid concentrations at the level of excretion via the kidneys.
These drugs impair secretion of uric acid, with resultant increased uric acid levels, increasing the risk of gout attacks.
What can you do about it?
This isn’t a warrant to just ditch your blood pressure medications. That’s certainly a goal to have in mind, but not without having your blood pressure controlled without them.
Unfortunately, this is old information that a lot of primary care providers seem to overlook. So if you’re on the hypertension-gout ship, this might be something worth discussing with your primary care provider.
Further Reading
Background information for gout
Dr. Mitchell is a Naturopathic Physician practicing in Gilbert, Arizona. His interests include rheumatology and environmental medicine