High consumption of beer can cause an increase in the levels of uric acid in blood . In other words, excessive intake of this alcoholic beverage can be an important risk factor for the development of a disease known as gout .
This is stated by Dr. Eliseo Pascual, from the Rheumatology Section of the General University Hospital of Alicante.
When the body presents high levels of uric acid in blood it is known as hyperuricemia, whose common cause is directly linked to the habits of the person in question. For example, excessive caloric intake during feeding.
According to Dr. Pascual, lifestyle changes among the population have caused «an increase in the number of cases of patients with acid high uric and, as a consequence, also those of gout “.
From the Spanish Foundation of Rheumatology they assure that” excessive consumption of beer, including beer with alcohol, as well as drinks called spirits (vodka, rum, gin, whiskey …) can increase uric acid levels in the blood and trigger gout flares ».
Factors that influence the increase in uric acid
There are different factors that influence the increase in uric acid values in the body, beyond any variation in lifestyle. Among them, age, the fact of being male or genetic predisposition stand out.
Regarding the profile of the patient with a greater tendency to develop this rheumatic disease known as gout, “a man over forty years of age who is accompanied by obesity, arterial hypertension or dyslipidemia, all of them risk factors, stands out. cardiovascular disease, conclude that for the moment we can demonstrate that elevated uric acid is also elevated. ”
On the other hand, in recent decades different studies have been carried out on hyperuricemia . However, although in Spain there is no concrete data in this regard, Dr. Pascual assures that close to 20% of the population could present this problem.
Thus, this specialist in the field explains that «in the case of the relationship between increased uric acid levels and cardiovascular risk, for example, there is a small association between both, but we have not been able to find a direct relationship “.
” Underdiagnosed pathology “
Taking into account the existing difficulties When it comes to checking the health status of people with high uric acid, experts like Dr. Eliseo Pascual point out that it is an underdiagnosed pathology. And the thing is that in episodes of hyperuricemia, symptoms of pain do not always have to appear.
In another vein, he warns that «what has been shown is that patients whose hyperuricemia has already transformed into gout, they are at increased risk of arteriosclerosis. It is a disease that causes persistent inflammation due to the formation of urate crystal deposits in the joints and nearby structures as a consequence of hyperuricemia. ”
Therefore, in patients Patients who develop gout due to having high uric acid levels increases the risk of diseases such as myocardial infarction.