"Does Gout Have a Genetic Component That Can Be Passed on to the Next Generation?"

In general, if both parents suffer from gout, the children have a higher probability of developing gout. However, not all patients will transmit the disease to their offspring.

1. No Inheritance:

Gout is a chronic joint disease caused by purine metabolism disorders or uric acid excretion disorders, mainly manifested as recurrent acute arthritis and interstitial nephropathy. The pathogenesis of this disease is not yet clear and may be related to hyperuricemia. There are many reasons for hyperuricemia, such as long-term consumption of fructose-rich beverages, carbonated drinks, and alcoholic beverages, as well as excessive intake of animal viscera, which can lead to increased uric acid levels in the body and induce the disease. If one parent has the above conditions and does not have other uncomfortable symptoms, it generally will not cause the child to develop the disease.

2. Possible Inheritance:

Due to the familial clustering tendency of gout, studies have shown that the risk of gout in offspring is lower when neither parent has gout, approximately 4%. However, if one parent has gout, the incidence in offspring can increase to 30%-58%, or even higher than 76%. For primary gout, it is currently considered a multigenic dominant inherited disease, which means there are multiple pairs of pathogenic loci on autosomes, so there is a certain genetic probability. It is recommended that such individuals pay attention to dietary adjustment in daily life, avoid seafood, quit smoking and alcohol, and engage in appropriate exercise to control weight, thereby reducing the recurrence rate of the disease.

Although gout has a certain genetic influence, it does not necessarily mean that it will be inherited by children. Patients are advised to seek timely medical treatment from the rheumatology and immunology department to avoid delaying the condition.