Inverse and nonlinear relationships between Life's Essential 8 metrics and gout risk: A cross-sectional study

This study investigated the relationship between Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a recently updated measure of cardiovascular health, and the prevalence of gout among adults in the United States. This study analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2018 data using logistic regression to examine the association between LE8 scores and gout risk. The models were adjusted for several factors. Sensitivity, quartile, and subgroup analyses were conducted using the R software. In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2018 study (n = 14,813), 4.83% of patients with gout were older (62.67 vs 49.02 years), predominantly male (68.58% vs 46.72%), and had a higher prevalence among non-Hispanic Blacks (25.28%) and Whites (46.65%). They also had higher cardiovascular disease rates (32.40% vs 9.92%) and lower LE8 scores (58.28 vs 67.06) than those without. A significant inverse association was observed between LE8 scores and gout risk. In the fully-adjusted models, the medium (50-79) and high (80-100) LE8 score groups showed reduced gout risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.61 and 0.42, respectively) compared to the low-score group (0-49). Each 10-point LE8 increase corresponded to a 21% reduction in gout risk. Subgroup analysis revealed that higher LE8 scores were associated with reduced gout risk in both sexes (women: OR = 0.75, men: OR = 0.80) and age groups 40 to 59 (OR = 0.85), and 60+ years (OR = 0.81). A dose-response relationship was observed, with the highest LE8 score quartile showing a 54% reduced risk of gout compared with the lowest quartile. A negative nonlinear association was observed between the LE8 scores and gout prevalence. Encouraging adherence to optimal cardiovascular health metrics may help reduce the burden of gout.