Older Adults With Gout Have Higher Rates of Dementia

A study presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology and published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases found seniors with gout have a 17 percent to 20 percent higher-than-normal risk for developing dementia, reports Health Central . The study entailed data on 1.23 million people on Medicare, 65,325 of whom had dementia. Following adjustment for other factors that affect dementia risk, the researchers determined gout to be an independent risk factor for dementia. The connection between the two diseases was greatest in older age groups, women, African Americans, and seniors with other chronic health conditions.