Causes Of Gout

Content

• What Are Symptoms And Signs Of Gout?
• Get The Facts On Gout Symptoms, Causes And Treatments
• Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, National Center For Health Statistics
• Is Pseudogout The Same As Gout?
• What Are The Risk Factors Of Gout?
• How Is Kidney Disease Tested?

Some foods contain more purines than others and have been associated with an increase of uric acid, which leads to gout. You may be able to reduce your chances of getting a gout attack by limiting or avoiding shellfish, organ meats (kidney, liver, etc.), red wine, beer and red meat. High levels of uric acid in the blood are associated with increased risk of kidney disease. Studies are being done to find out whether lowering uric acid reduces the risk for kidney disease.

Gout can be tricky to diagnose because the symptoms can be vague and can mimic other diseases. Telltale signs include an attack of arthritis in only one joint, often the toe, ankle, or knee. The attack often develops quickly, and the joint is swollen, red, and warm.

What Are Symptoms And Signs Of Gout?

Alcohol consumption, especially of beer, also increases the risk of gout. Gout is caused by monosodium urate crystal deposition in tissues leading to arthritis, soft tissue masses (i.e., tophi), nephrolithiasis, and urate nephropathy. The biologic precursor to gout is elevated serum uric acid levels (i.e., hyperuricemia). The most frequent signs of a gout attack are swelling, tenderness, redness, and a sharp pain in your big toe. These attacks are most common at night when you are sitting still and laying flat on your back. While gout usually manifests in the big toe, you may also experience gout attacks in your foot, ankle, or knees.

Get The Facts On Gout Symptoms, Causes And Treatments

It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911. In addition to medical treatment, you can manage your gout with self-management strategies. Self-management is what you do day to day to manage your condition and stay healthy, like making healthy lifestyle choices.

Post-pubertal males are at increased risk for gout compared with women. Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. The content on Healthgrades does not provide medical advice.

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis caused by a build up of crystalized uric acid in the joints and can be severely painful. It may develop in the ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows, but most commonly develops in the foot – specifically at the base of the big toe. Gout also most commonly develops in men, peaking at age 75, but can occur in women at any age as well.

Gout attacks are known to come on quite suddenly, with the first 36 hours being the most painful. In some cases, the attack may go away quickly and on its own. However, most of them will last for a week or so, and possibly even several weeks or longer if you don’t get proper treatment. Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Increase your intake of dairy products, such as nonfat milk and yogurt, because they can lower the frequency of gout attacks.

When To Contact A Medical Professional

Also, the body readily transforms substances in foods called purines into uric acid. Uric acid is removed from the blood mainly through the kidneys and through the gastrointestinal system. Similarly, Solomon and colleagues reported a reduced risk of a CV event in patients with gout who take colchicine. Adjusted risk of a CV event was 49% lower with colchicine use (HR 0.51) and all-cause mortality was 73% lower (HR 0.55). Unlike women, men with gout were not at greater risk for angina, transient ischemic attack, or stroke. Cyclosporine A can cause an accelerated form of gout, even in premenopausal women, that can present after only a few years of hyperuricemia, particularly if the patient is also receiving diuretics.

However, if the disorder progresses, untreated flare-ups last longer, occur more frequently, and affect several joints. If left untreated, later flare-ups can last up to 3 weeks. In contrast, urate-lowering therapy in patients with gout has been linked to reduced risk for both cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality.

You may think it is just a spasm, but it could be something a bit more serious. Although it can’t be cured, gout can be managed effectively with medicine and lifestyle changes. Certain foods and drinks are better than others for controlling gout.

Is Pseudogout The Same As Gout?

Gout is usually not preventable through lifestyle changes alone. Many people with gout need medicines to get their gout under control. Gout attacks happen more at night and in the early morning rather than during the day. The reasons this happens are not entirely known, but some of the leading ideas are dehydration, lower body temperature, and changes in hormone levels during sleep. Chronic gout can lead to permanent joint stiffness, damage, and deformity.

Are eggs bad for gout?

Eggs are a good protein source for people with gout, because eggs are naturally low in purines.

Chronic gout in older adults may be less painful and can be confused with other forms of arthritis. Certain conditions related to diet and body weight, such as being overweight, eating a diet rich in meat and seafood (high-purine foods), and drinking too much alcohol. Certain herbal medicines may have ingredients that can harm the kidneys or make kidney disease worse. They can also interact with prescription medicines to either increase or decrease how well the medicine works. So rather than purely focusing on purine-rich foods, consuming less in total can better control urate levels while improving your overall health.