Association Between Asthma and Gout: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study Using a National Health Screening Cohort

Background: Previous reports suggest a connection between gout and asthma; however, additional research is required to clarify this link. This study explores the relationship between gout and asthma using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort. Methods: Participants were selected according to medical claim codes, and individuals diagnosed with gout were paired with control subjects at a 1:4 ratio. Variables, including demographic characteristics, health-related information, and medical history, were incorporated into the analysis. The incidence rates and hazard ratios of asthma were examined. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between gout and asthma exacerbation. Results: Among the 514,866 participants, 19,830 patients with gout and 79,320 matched controls were analyzed. After adjusting for variables, the gout group demonstrated a significantly higher risk of asthma compared with the control group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.11, p < 0.001). Compared with the control group, the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test revealed a statistically significant increase in the cumulative incidence of asthma in the gout group over a 17-year period. However, the gout group did not show a significantly higher hazard ratio for asthma exacerbation. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that gout was associated with an increased risk of asthma. Additional analysis showed that gout was not correlated with asthma exacerbation. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the association between gout and asthma.