Gout: Colchicine Linked to Reduced CV Risk
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Colchicine, long used to reduce inflammation in gout flares, might also protect patients with gout from cardiovascular (CV) events, according to a study published online November 18, 2015, in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The study's key findings were that patients with gout who used colchicine had fewer CV events and lower all-cause mortality than similar patients with gout whose treatment did not include colchicine, said lead author Daniel H. Solomon, MD, MPH, from Brigham and Women's Hospital and chief of the Section of Clinical Sciences in Rheumatology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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@aparna Based upon the two retrospective studies in this population, it would be fair to say that continued use of low-dose colchicine for prophylaxis against gout is safe and preferred over [nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs], especially in people with proven coronary disease; however, the primary reason for prescribing the drug in these patients should be for prevention of gout, rather than prevention of CV events. The real question is whether colchicine provides benefits over and above aspirin and statin therapy in patients with proven coronary disease