Use of colchicine is not associated with reduced cardiovascular events among Chinese adults starting urate-lowering therapy

1. Among a cohort of Chinese adults starting urate-lowering therapy, use of colchicine was not associated with a reduction in cardiovascular event risk.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with chronic inflammation being a significant driver of risk associated with ASCVD. Colchicine has been previously investigated as a potential anti-inflammatory agent with conflicting evidence surrounding its role in cardiovascular protection. However, the role of colchicine in this setting has been mostly limited to Western populations. This retrospective cohort study therefore sought to investigate the association between colchicine and major cardiovascular events among Chinese adults starting urate-lowering therapy. 285,727 adults initiating urate-lowering therapy from Beijing, China between 2010 and 2017 were included in this study. Among these patients, 6,157 (mean[SD] age, 48.9[14.7] years; 18.4% female) were exposed to colchicine and 279,570 (mean[SD] age, 53.5[15.4] years; 34% female) were not exposed to colchicine. Use of colchicine was not associated with a reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular events among the exposed group (incidence rate per 100 person-years, 1.62) compared to the unexposed group (incidence rate per 100 person-years, 1.59), with a hazard ratio of 1.01 (95% CI: 0.91-1.12). The incidence of early cardiovascular disease (age 65 years or younger) was also similar between the exposed and unexposed groups, with a hazard ratio of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.82-1.12). Overall, this study found that among Chinese patients starting urate-lowering therapy, use of colchicine was not associated with a reduction in cardiovascular events.   

Click here to read this study in BMC Medicine

Citation: Yang R, Yu H, Wang K, Wu J, Wang M, Qin X, et al. Colchicine use and cardiovascular event risk in Chinese adults starting urate-lowering therapy: a cohort study. BMC Med. 2026 Nov 3. doi: 10.1186/s12916-026-05384-9. Epub ahead of print.

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