What Is Gout?

Content

• What Causes Gout?
• Care And Treatment
• Gout
• Who Is Affected By Gout?
• The Role Of Uric Acid

To prevent this problem, keep your urine diluted by drinking eight ounce glasses of fluid every day. Occasional side effects include skin rash and stomach upset. Stomach problems usually go away as your body adjusts to the drug.

Some people go months or even years without a gout attack after having one. In other people, attacks may become more frequent over time. An acute gout attack will generally reach its peak hours after onset, and then will slowly begin to resolve even without treatment.

What Causes Gout?

For most patients, the goal of uric-acid-lowering medication is to achieve a serum uric acid level of less than 6 mg/dl. These medications also are effective treatments to decrease the size of tophi, with the ultimate goal of eradicating them. Uric-acid-lowering medications include allopurinol , febuxostat , probenecid, and pegloticase . Rheumatologists traditionally have expertise in diagnosing and treating gout, especially complicated situations.

Is chocolate good for gout?

Chocolate can lower uric acid crystallization, according to a 2018 study . Lowering uric acid crystallization can be key to controlling your gout. Chocolate has polyphenols associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Inflammation reduction is helpful in providing relief from a gout attack.

Gout is caused by having too much uric acid in your blood. Uric acid is made when your body breaks down chemicals called purines. This information is provided for general education only. Individuals should consult a qualified health care provider for professional medical advice, diagnosis and treatment of a medical or health condition. If gout is not treated, the inflammation can cause damage to joints and tendons.

Care And Treatment

People with gout also may have high blood pressure or kidney infections. Since these problems can cause kidney damage, your doctor will check for signs of these problems and treat them if they occur. Extra uric acid in your body creates sharp crystals in the joints, leading to swelling and extreme tenderness. Gout usually starts in the big toe but can affect other joints. Gout is a treatable condition, and the uric acid level can be decreased by medication and lifestyle changes.

In rare cases, it may later affect the shoulders, hips or spine. Non-medication treatments for gout are important, such as staying off the foot when it is inflamed and attending to diet both to reduce purine intake and to lose weight when indicated. In view of the effectiveness of our treatments, it is important for a correct diagnosis to be made as early as possible, and therapy begun quickly, when appropriate.

Lose weight.For people who are overweight or obese, losing weight reduces pressure on joints, particularly weight bearing joints like the hips and knees. Reaching or maintaining a healthy weight can relieve pain, improve function, and slow the progression of arthritis. Learn more about the CDC-recommended self-management education programs. Gout affects many aspects of daily living, including work and leisure activities. Fortunately, there are many low-cost self-management strategies that are proven to improve the quality of life of people with gout.

These conditions usually occur in boys but can occasionally happen in girls as well. If too much uric acid builds up in the fluid around the joints , uric acid crystals form. These crystals cause the joint to swell and become inflamed. This agent is an effective alternative to NSAIDs in the treatment of acute gouty arthritis.

Can you eat cheese if you have gout?

Dairy Foods and Gout
Full-fat dairy products like whole milk and ice cream are often discouraged for people with gout. However, studies have shown that increasing the amount of dairy products you eat, including cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, may reduce your risk of developing gout.

Acute attacks may be terminated with the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, colchicine or intra-articular injections of corticosteroids. Probenecid, sulfinpyrazone and allopurinol can be used to prevent recurrent attacks. Obesity, alcohol intake and certain foods and medications can contribute to hyperuricemia.

Is It Psoriatic Arthritis, Gout, Or Something Else?

New drugs are being developed that may be more versatile and safe in treating the elevated uric acid levels in patients with chronic gout. Eating a diet rich in red meat and shellfish and drinking beverages sweetened with fruit sugar increase levels of uric acid, which increase your risk of gout. Alcohol consumption, especially of beer, also increases the risk of gout. As mentioned above, a sedentary lifestyle without exercise, obesity, as well as hypertension are all risk factors for developing gout. Your therapist can advise you on an appropriate cardiovascular exercise for you to partake in and can devise a program of exercise for you to follow. Some clients will find that doing a cardiovascular exercise in the pool, along with their other stretching and strengthening exercises, is easier and less painful on their joints.

Taking certain medications , a high alcohol or sugar intake, or eating high-purine foods can trigger a gout flare. When this substance can’t be sufficiently dissolved and excreted in the urine, it starts to crystallize, and those crystals deposit themselves in joints where they cause severe inflammation. Colchicine is also given to reduce inflammation during an acute gout attack. This drug has recently been approved by the Federal Drug Administration for treatment of gout.

Who Is Affected By Gout?

However, having a close relative with gout likely increases a person's risk of developing the condition. Gout is a common condition, but it occurs more frequently in some populations than others. THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for informational purposes only.

A diet that avoids foods high in purine, high-fructose drinks, and alcohol can lessen your long-term risks. If you use medicines like diuretics, stopping that use can help prevent gout as well. About half of all gout attacks begin in the big toe, but it also can occur in the ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows.