title: Allopurinol use and the risk of acute cardiovascular events in patients with gout and diabetes.
abstract: Few studies, if any, have examined cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes and gout. Both diabetes and gout are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of allopurinol on the risk of incident acute cardiovascular events in patients with gout and diabetes.
  
  
  
  We used the 2007-2010 Multi-Payer Claims Database (MPCD) that linked health plan data from national commercial and governmental insurances, representing beneficiaries with United Healthcare, Medicare, or Medicaid coverage. In patients with gout and diabetes, we assessed the current allopurinol use, defined as a new filled prescription for allopurinol, as the main predictor of interest. Our outcome of interest was the occurrence of the first Incident hospitalized myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke (composite acute cardiovascular event), after which observations were censored. We employed multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models that simultaneously adjusted for patient demographics, cardiovascular risk factors and other medical comorbidities. We calculated hazard ratios [HR] (95% confidence intervals [CI]) for incident composite (MI or stroke) acute cardiovascular events. We performed sensitivity analyses that additionally adjusted for the presence of immune diseases and colchicine use, as potential confounders.
  
  
  
  There were 2,053,185 person days (5621.3 person years) of current allopurinol use and 1,671,583 person days (4576.5 person years) of prior allopurinol use. There were 158 incident MIs or strokes in current and 151 in prior allopurinol users, respectively. Compared to previous allopurinol users, current allopurinol users had significantly lower adjusted hazard of incident acute cardiovascular events (incident stroke or MI), with an HR of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.53, 0.84). Sensitivity analyses, additionally adjusted for immune diseases or colchicine use, confirmed this association.
  
  
  
  Current allopurinol use protected against the occurrence of acute cardiovascular events in patients with gout and diabetes. The underlying mechanisms for this potential cardio-protective effect of allopurinol need further exploration.
authors.affiliation: Medicine Service, VA Medical Center, 700 19th St S, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA. Jasvinder.md@gmail.com.|Department of Medicine at School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 510, 20th street South, Faculty office tower (FOT), Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA. Jasvinder.md@gmail.com.|Division of Epidemiology at School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 Second Ave. South, Birmingham, AL, 335294-0022, USA. Jasvinder.md@gmail.com.|Department of Orthopedic SurgeryMayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA. Jasvinder.md@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jasvinder A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine at School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 510, 20th street South, Faculty office tower (FOT), Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Rekha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramachandaran
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine at School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 510, 20th street South, Faculty office tower (FOT), Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Shaohua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine at School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 510, 20th street South, Faculty office tower (FOT), Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.|Division of Epidemiology at School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 Second Ave. South, Birmingham, AL, 335294-0022, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Curtis
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000359:Aftercare; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000493:Allopurinol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006073:Gout / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D000493:Allopurinol
keywords: Acute cardiovascular events; Allopurinol; Diabetes; Gout; Myocardial infarction; Predictors; Stroke