According to a new study U.S and Dutch scientists have identified two genes and confirmed the involvement of a third gene in increasing the risk of higher levels of uric acid in gout, a common and painful form of arthritis.  

The researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research found that all three genetic variations, taken together, were linked with up to a 40-fold increased risk in developing gout.

The findings suggests genetic testing might one day be used to identify individuals at risk of gout before symptoms develop, as well as determine who might benefit from medications to prevent the development of gout.

The researchers replicated their findings by using data from nearly 14,900 participants in National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC).

Gout can develop when excess amounts of uric acid build up in the blood and form crystals, which accumulate in the joints and causes swelling and pain. Gout can permanently damage affected joints and possibly the kidneys.

The study was reported in the Sept. 30 online edition of The Lancet.