ArticleArthritis research & therapy2026
Rheumatoid arthritis and gout: a rare combination or overlooked coexistence?
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) and gout are traditionally considered distinct diseases with differing pathogenic mechanisms, making their coexistence controversial. Emerging evidence suggests this overlap may be underestimated. This study aimed to evaluate their epidemiological association, genetic causality, and intersecting molecular features.
methodsEpidemiological analyses used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2007 ~ 2018, n = 19,705) data. Propensity score matching and weighted multivariate logistic regression assessed gout prevalence, temporal trends, and risk factors in RA. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis examined nonlinear serum urate (SUA)-gout associations within RA. Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) data evaluated causal effects of overall RA, Seronegative RA (SNRA), and Seropositive RA (SPRA) on gout and SUA, with multiple testing controlled by Bonferroni correction. Transcriptomic analyses from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) used differential expression and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Results were integrated with disease-related genes from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), and GeneCards databases for enrichment and pathway analyses.
resultsNHANES data indicated higher gout prevalence among RA patients compared to matched controls (10.3% vs. 4.8%, P < 0.001), with an increasing trend over time (P = 0.006). Weighted logistic regression supported RA as an independent risk factor for gout (OR: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.95 to 3.67; P < 0.001). RCS analysis revealed a nonlinear SUA-gout association in RA (P < 0.05). MR supported a causal effect of RA on gout, strongest for SNRA (OR = 1.132; 95% CI: 1.044 to 1.227; P = 0.003) after Bonferroni correction, whereas no effect was found for SPRA on gout or for RA, SNRA, and SPRA on SUA. Bioinformatics analysis identified 207 shared RA-gout genes enriched in interferon signaling, immune activation, and antiviral defense pathways, highlighting five hub genes (RSAD2, DDX60, IFIT1, IFIT3, XAF1) central to a convergent interferon-driven mechanism.
conclusionsRA and gout may overlap more than previously recognized, with stronger genetic evidence in SNRA. No causal effect on SUA suggests the link may not primarily involve urate pathways. Transcriptomic overlap in interferon signaling indicates potential molecular intersections, warranting further investigation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.