Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and incident gout: A prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank

Gout is a chronic disorder characterized by the accumulation of uric acid in the body, leading to recurrent episodes of joint inflammation and pain. There remains a lack of studies investigating the association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and the incidence of gout. We conducted this prospective cohort study involving participants aged 38–70 from the UK Biobank who were enrolled in 2006–2010 and followed until 2023. Baseline residential concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), inhalable particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were predicted using land-use regression models. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to examine the relationship between air pollution and incident gout events. A total of 443,587 individuals were included in the analyses and a total of 6589 incident gout cases were identified over a follow-up of 6,130,439 person-years. There were significant associations between higher levels of air pollution and an increased incidence risk of gout. Higher risk of incident gout was associated with each interquartile range increase in concentrations of PM2.5 (hazard ratio:1.05, 95% confidence intervals: 1.02–1.09), PM10 (1.04, 1.00–1.07), NO2 (1.08, 1.05–1.12) and NOx (1.04, 1.02–1.07). The magnitude of associations was larger at higher concentrations. The association was more prominent among older adults, smokers, and individuals with lower and moderate physical activity. This prospective cohort study provides novel and compelling evidence of increased risk of incident gout associated with long-term air pollution exposures.