What Is Gout?
Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis. It occurs when too much uric acid builds up in the body. The buildup of uric acid can lead to: • Sharp uric acid crystal deposits in joints, often in the big toe • Deposits of uric acid (called tophi) that look like lumps under the skin • Kidney stones from uric acid crystals in the kidneys. For many people, the first attack of gout occurs in the big toe. Often, the attack wakes a person from sleep. The toe is very sore, red, warm, and swollen. Gout can cause: • Pain • Swelling • Redness • Heat • Stiffness in joints. In addition to the big toe, gout can affect the: • Insteps • Ankles • Heels • Knees • Wrists • Fingers • Elbows. A gout attack can be brought on by stressful events, alcohol or drugs, or another illness. Early attacks usually get better within 3 to 10 days, even without treatment. The next attack may not occur for months or even years. What Causes Gout? How Is Gout Diagnosed? How Is Gout Treated? What Can People With Gout
Gout is a kind of arthritis. It can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe. These attacks can happen over and over unless gout is treated. Over time, they can harm your joints, tendons, and other tissues. Gout is most common in men. What causes gout? Gout is caused by too much uric acid in the blood. Most of the time, having too much uric acid is not harmful. Many people with high levels in their blood never get gout. But when uric acid levels in the blood are too high, the uric acid may form hard crystals in your joints. Your chances of getting gout are higher if you are overweight, drink too much alcohol, or eat too much meat and fish that are high in chemicals called purines. Some medicines, such as water pills (diuretics), can also bring on gout. What are the symptoms? The most common sign of gout is a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and sharp pain in your big toe. You can also get gout attacks in your foot,
What are gout symptoms, which foods cause gout, and what are the best gout remedies to obtain quick relief? Gout is a metabolic disease where uric acid levels build up in joints as crystals causing its most common symptom, extreme pain. The increase in uric acid may be due to the body’s inability to correctly process a type of protein (purine) or it may be due to the kidneys’ inability to remove excess uric acid. Either way, gout treatments may include medication to lower the uric acid level or a special gout diet to decrease the amount of purine ingested. Gout affects about 275 out of every 100,000 people, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculo- skeletal Disease. More men develop gout than women. The first episode of gout usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 50 in men and after menopause in women. Gout is a form of rheumatic disease caused by uric acid deposits in the joints. It can affect any joint — the fingers, wrist, elbow, knee, ankle, or foot. The mos
An estimated 5.1 million people in the United States live with gout, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988-1994. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men over 40 and affects approximately 3 times as many men as women. The number of newly diagnosed cases has increased over the past 40 years. Gout is a kind of arthritis that has been known since ancient times. Hippocrates called it “the disease of kings” because of its association with a rich diet. In reality, there are a number of factors that can lead to gout, and diet is part of this larger picture. The pain of gout (called attacks or flares) is caused by inflammation when needle-like crystals are deposited in connective tissue and/or in the fluid that cushions a joint (the synovial fluid). These crystals are made up of uric acid, a substance produced when the body breaks down purines found in human tissue and many foods we eat. Most uric acid is carried through the bloodstrea
