Colchicine may lower risk of arthroplasty in gout patients

Among patients with gout, colchicine users appear to have a modestly reduced risk of total joint arthroplasty, as shown in a study.

Researchers used a UK primary care database and identified patients who had received a colchicine prescription after their gout diagnosis. These patients were propensity score-matched with a non-initiator using one-year cohort accrual blocks.

The analysis included 31,478 colchicine initiators and 31,478 matched non-initiators. The mean age of the overall population was 60 years, and the mean BMI was 30 kg/m².

Over a median follow-up of 4.5 years, colchicine initiators had a 12-percent lower risk of total joint arthroplasty compared with non-initiators (hazard ratio [HR], 0.88, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.81–0.96). Similar estimates were obtained after additional adjustment for confounders (HR, 0.89, 95 percent CI, 0.82–0.97).

Of note, colchicine initiation was associated with a greater reduction in the risk of total joint arthroplasty for gout patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis when compared with non-initiation (HR, 0.77, 95 percent CI, 0.64–0.92).

The findings suggest that colchicine may be beneficial in individuals with gout and knee or hip osteoarthritis, according to the researchers.