Blood pressure drug may lower gout risk

Gout—a type of arthritis that causes swollen and stiff joints—has been documented as a common complication of blood pressure management and cited as a reason why people don’t take their medication as prescribed. Now, a study published in the Journal of Hypertension, reports that the antihypertensive drug amlodipine lowered long-term gout risk compared to two other commonly prescribed drugs to lower blood pressure.

Researchers re-analyzed data from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial. The trial evaluated the effects of common blood pressure drugs on cardiovascular outcomes in more than 20,000 participants treated across North America between 1994 and 2002. The study was funded by NHLBI.