Gout Flare Pathophysiology and Biomarker Analysis

Data with normal distribution are expressed as mean ± SD, whereas data with abnormal distribution are expressed as median (interquartile range [IQR]). We employed a paired t-test to compare changes in parameters during and after the gout flare. The differences between the groups were tested for statistical significance by an independent sample t-test. The Mann–Whitney U non-parametric test was employed for variables that were not normally distributed. We calculated Pearson’s correlation coefficient to evaluate the relationship between parameters. We tested the association between SUA and the levels of CORT, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α using the same model. Further, we applied linear mixed effect models to estimate the association between the percent changes in 24 h Uur and 24 h UFC. Model 1 required no adjustment. Model 2 was adjusted for the percent changes in IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Model 3 was further adjusted for the percent changes in CORT, 24 h FEur, and 24 h EurGF. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, as indicated (two-tailed test). SPSS v.26.0 (IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis.