The independent association of gout with a 2-fold higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in older adults indicates that common mechanisms may be shared by the 2 conditions, according to a recent study. Researchers used the 5% US Medicare beneficiary sample from 2006–2012 to assess whether gout was independently associated with new diagnosis of OSA in adults aged ≥65 years, adjusting for demographics, medical comorbidity (Charlson-Romano index) and hypertension, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease, and the use of medications for cardiovascular diseases or gout. They found:

• Based on 10,448,472 person-years of follow-up in a cohort of 1.74 million adults aged ≥65 years, the crude incidence rates of OSA were 14.3 per 1,000 person-years in people with gout and 3.9 per 1,000 person-years in people without gout.
• In multivariable-adjusted analyses, gout was associated with higher risk of a new diagnosis of OSA during the follow-up (hazard ratio (HR) was 2.07).
• In sensitivity analyses that substituted continuous Charlson-Romano score with a categorical variable or individual Charlson-Romano comorbidities plus hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease, the main finding was confirmed (HRs were 2.11 and 1.79).