Genes pinpoint people at risk for gout: study

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have pinpointed three genes related to the high blood levels of uric acid that cause gout in a step that could help identify people at special risk for this common and painful type of arthritis.

People who had specific variants of these genes were up to 30 to 40 times more likely to develop gout than those without them, U.S. and Dutch researchers wrote in the Lancet medical journal on Thursday.

The scientists examined genetic information from 26,714 people to locate genes associated with gout.

Previous research had implicated a gene called SCLA29, and this study confirmed that. It identified two other genes, ABCG2 and SLC17A3, that can raise gout risk.

The genes seem to be involved in how the kidneys handle uric acid, the researchers said. Knowing their role in raising gout risk could help inspire the development of drugs for the condition that target these genes, the researchers said.

The findings also indicate that genetic tests could be used to identify people at risk for gout before symptoms develop.

"The ultimate hope is that one day we can determine who's at high risk for gout and who's not, and perhaps even determine who's going to respond better to different therapies based on what their genotypes are," Dr. Caroline Fox of the U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, who helped lead the study, said in a telephone interview.

The institute is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.