Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41235116›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pharmacology2025

Febuxostat may decrease the incidence of COVID-19 infection among patients with gout: a retrospective cohort study.

Weijie Wang, Shiow-Ing Wang, Yang Cheng, Xinchang Wang, Yongsheng Fan, James Cheng-Chung Wei

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors fromFrontiers in chemistry · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Weijie Wang *State Key Clinical Specialty of Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Shiow-Ing Wang *Center for Health Data Science, Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Yang ChengThe Second Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Xinchang WangState Key Clinical Specialty of Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Yongsheng FanState Key Clinical Specialty of Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
James Cheng-Chung WeiInstitute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: As COVID-19 infection causes a kidney proximal tubule dysfunction with urinary loss of uric acid. Hypouricemia has been found in patients with severe COVID-19 disease. However, gout is a risk factor for COVID-19 incidence and COVID-19-related death. It is not known whether urate-lowering therapy could reduce the risk of infection of COVID-19 in gout patients or not. Methods: Data from collaborative electronic health records were used in this study. A total of 663,729 patients with gout were enrolled between January 1, 2020 and December31, 2022 from 35,528,077 participants in US Collaborative Network with at least two visits. After exclusion and propensity score matching, 5,466 patients with Febuxostat and 5,466 patients with Allopurinol in the comparison group were selected. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals of COVID-19 incidence, and mechanical utilization were calculated between Febuxostat and Allopurinol groups. Subgroup analyses on sex, age, levels of serum uric acid, with vaccination group and sensitivity analyses for gout patients due to renal impairment or with tophus, different follow-up durations and considered competing risk were performed. Results: Compared to Allopurinol group, Febuxostat significantly reduced the risk of COVID-19 incidence (HR = 0.878 [0.801-0.963]) and hospitalization (HR = 0.874 [0.772-0.989]). Febuxostat appears to be more effective in male, elder, without record of COVID-19 vaccination, and gout patients with serum uric acid<10 mg/dL in reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection. In addition, Febuxostat markedly reduced the hospitalization (HR = 0.652 [0.485-0.877]) in gout patients due to renal impairment or with tophus and the risks of COVID-19 incidence (HR = 0.878 [0.801-0.963]). Conclusion: In this retrospective cohort study, Febuxostat use was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 among patients with gout for 3 years follow-up, even with renal impairment or tophus.

Indexed as

collaborative networkCOVID-19febuxostatgoutserum uric acid

Identifiers

PMID41235116
PMCPMC12605445

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.