The study population was drawn from the Canadian British Columbia Linked Health Database and included more than 9500 gout patients. These patients were compared with 48,000 patients who did not have the condition.

The researchers tracked the heart health of the patients for over seven years during which 3268 fatal and non-fatal heart attacks were observed. Among these, 996 heart attacks occurred in women. The researchers report that women with gout were 41% more likely than their male counterparts to suffer from non-fatal heart attack and 39% more likely to experience any form of heart attack.

In contrast, men with gout were only 11% more likely than those without gout to suffer from a heart attack.

The details of the study are published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Gout is an inflammatory joint disease caused by excessive deposit of uric acid. Factors that trigger the condition include obesity, weight gain, high alcohol intake, high blood pressure, poorly functioning kidneys and certain drugs.

Lifestyle modifications are a must to manage the condition. If the above study is true, then women must adopt these modifications on an urgent basis.