Gout and Arterial Thrombosis

Two hundred and eighty patients with primary gout diagnosed between the years 1959-64 at Henry Ford Hospital were studied to determine the frequency of myocardial infarction in the fourth, fifth and sixth decades. The retrospective data correlate with previously published reports of accelerated platelet turnover and our own observation of increased platelet surface activation in patients with gout. The results suggest an increased risk (or myocardial infarction before age 50 in patients with primary gout; this merits prospective study. The finding of increased platelet surface activation in patients with gout may provide an insight into the pathophysiology of the apparent increased incidence of arterial thrombosis in gout