Link between AFib and Gout

[saulger]

Hello fellow AFibbers. I hope that you are all doing well and staying safe.

Please bear with me and I have an interesting find lower down.

Early 2018 I had a noticeable episode of AF whilst undergoing a stress ECG.

Heart rate around 170 that took some time to go down. At the time I was highly constipated and on relieving myself the AF seemed to get better. On the basis of the ECG I was prescribed a starting dose one pill a day Bisoprolol 1.25mg that I took for several months but found hard to tolerate because of shortness of breath. I therefore stopped taking the pill regularly and used it just when I had an AF episode.

I am 73, normal BMI, low BP (100/70 and lower) low pulse (50s), was fit (silver medal in the over 60s category in the Athens Indoor Rowing competition in 2010) and felt that something else was at play.

My uric acid analysis is on the high side (7.0) and I've had a couple of gout attacks in the past four months with inflamed foot and ankle for which I was prescribed Colchicine (mentioned in the linked article) . I started a low purine diet, cutting out a most meat and no sardines that I indulged (living in Greece).

Lo and behold, my heart rate is feeling rock solid. I am now able to row again (20 minutes at a moderate pace), without the arrhythmia that would typically follow.

Today I Googled and came across an article that highlights a link between gout and AF: blog.arthritis.org/gout/atr...

I am asking if other members also suffer from high uric acid and whether eliminating foods rich in purines had an effect.

Best wishes to us all,

Saul Gerstenhaber

[CDreamer]

Interesting, thanks for posting. I have a friend with gout and AF but is someone who won’t change their lifestyle which includes drinking a fair amount of red wine. Well done you for sticking with it.

[saulger in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for the reply. Alcohol was a no-no for me as it brought on an AF episode.

A gout diet precludes excessive alcohol intake.

[RajaRua]

Hi Saul, Thank you for this info. I'm a great believer in food as medicine....or lack of some foods as medicine in this case! I'm wondering what other foods besides meat and alcohol are bad for gout....not that I have gout..I don't TG! But wondering about sugar and fruit? I know I should cut out sugar and I do but under stress my system craves it as is true of many of us. How about fruit? Do you eat fruit? Thank you for great info and the post.

[saulger in reply to RajaRua]

billandben_21. Thank you for your comment. Fructose is also not recommended in excess if one suffers from gout.

The aim is to cut down to less than 400mg uric acid per day.

There is a lot of advice out on the web that is conflicting.

The best scientific study (although missing some foods) that I could find is from Japan, where a fish diet reigns supreme, and fish, in quantity, is bad for gout (as is meat).

Please have a look at this:

jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bp...

Saul

[Koassilator]

Sorry but with alcohol you've got to wine your neck in. Other drinks are available.

Having read the link I'm dead already.

But 65 benchmark has been the case, nevermind adding gout into the equation. Uric I knew him well. Yes adjust diet but meds are needed maintenance.

With Sir Rosis & now AFib diagnosis I & we all have had to ditch old habits & be come super healthy after the fact.

Hanging on in there innit. 🤔

[saulger in reply to Koassilator]

I recommend you stay off the hard stuff.

[Koassilator in reply to saulger]

👍

[Koassilator in reply to saulger]

Gout it down to alcohol my guess. I did look at foods rich in purines & surprised to find all the so called good foods were on the list therefore off the menu. Meat, fish, broccoli etc almost saying all the bad foods cakes & buns were ok.

Now here this. Mil @ 78 has dementia, never drank or smoked, diet not great loves sweet stuff. Has always had pains and a few TIA'S ?

Went into Hospital with a clot in her leg & since confirmed she is riddled with gout 🤔

[saulger in reply to Koassilator]

Yes, intake of foods rich in purine and fructose, and also alcohol, are to be taken in moderation. The benchmark is under 400mg uric acid per day, with some fish and meats being extremely high (e.g. offal and canned sardines) and to be avoided.

Please see my earlier reply where I posted a link to research in Japan that analysed many tens of food items, displayed as tables with their purine content mg/100g.

This research highlights four different classes of purines, with some being worse for gout than others.

[Koassilator in reply to saulger]

Thanks I read that after my initial reply. 👍

[Chip76]

Thanks Saul I do get athletes foot through stress. I do feel my AF more when stressed for sure. I also have digestive issues you wrote about. Could all be linked...

[saulger]

Thanks for your reply.

Stress and AF definitely don't mix.

I have now reduced my purine intake and (fingers crossed) my heart has been steady, even after 25 minutes of moderate rowing on an indoor ergo (750 calories/hour), unlike before the diet.

Really worth looking into for all who have both AF and gout.