A Concise History Of Gout And Hyperuricemia And Their Treatment

Content

• About Gout
• How Common Is Gout?
• Treatments For Gout Through The Ages
• How Is Gout Treated?
• How Can An Attack Of Gout Be Treated?

Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensity in less than 12 hours. The joint at the base of the big toe is affected in about half of cases. It may also result in tophi, kidney stones, or kidney damage.

Will an ankle brace help gout?

Gout can be made more comfortable by wearing a soft supportive orthotic. This supports and cushions the foot and places less strain on the joints of the foot. Gout is an extremely painful joint disease that affects about 3% of the population, mostly males.

Drink at least eight-ounce glasses of non-alcoholic fluids daily, especially if you have had kidney stones. This will help flush the uric acid crystals out of your body. Your doctor may check for other types of arthritis such as CPPD deposition disease and infectious arthritis. These conditions resemble gout but are not caused by uric acid crystals. To determine which type of arthritis you might have, your doctor may have to remove fluid from an affected joint and examine it for crystals.

About Gout

he red, hot, swollen joints that signal acute gout attacks are nothing new to most hospitalists. can increase slightly the blood level of uric acid, but if it is effective in reducing blood pressure it should generally be continued while other drugs are used to lower the uric acid blood level. Uricosuric drugs also can be used to lower the levels of uric acid in the blood in people who have normal kidney function. is a specialized drug that is used to lower blood levels of uric acid dramatically in people with severe gout.

How Common Is Gout?

If this is the first time you have had an attack, see your doctor immediately. “Gout is one of the most underdiagnosed diseases because data on how to treat high uric acid has been lacking. The sooner you start treatment and pain management, the more quickly you will be back on your feet. Again, it’s still possible to experience gout attacks with chronic gout. When you have chronic gout, you can have flares—a period of time when your symptoms intensify. Therefore, you need to be able to recognize the signs of a gout attack and work hard to prevent attacks.

Is tomato bad for gout?

Tomatoes have been considered a healthy food, acceptable for those with gout until reports from those with gout claimed the food triggers symptoms. Some research suggests an association between eating tomatoes and higher levels of uric acid, which is known to trigger gout.

Acute gout requires pharmacotherapy (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, or colchicine). Optimum results are achieved if pharmacotherapy is begun as soon as possible, preferably within 12 to 24 hours of onset of pain . Despite the high prevalence of gout, there have been only a few randomized clinical trials on which conclusions can be based to aid the development of evidence-based medicine. Recommendations are often based on pathophysiological considerations. Overweight patients should aim for a normal weight but should not crash-diet or follow protein-rich diets such as the Atkins diet.

Rates are high among Pacific Islanders and the Māori, but the disease is rare in aboriginal Australians, despite a higher mean uric acid serum concentration in the latter group. It has become common in China, Polynesia, and urban sub-Saharan Africa. Some studies found that attacks of gout occur more frequently in the spring. This has been attributed to seasonal changes in diet, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and temperature. Risk of gout attacks can be lowered by reducing intake of alcohol, fructose (e.g. high fructose corn syrup), and purine-rich foods of animal origin such as organ meats and seafood.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , corticosteroids, colchicine, adrenocorticotropic hormone , and anakinra are treatment options. The choice is based primarily on whether the patient has any concomitant health problems . Colchicine, a classic treatment, is now rarely indicated. The temptation to treat patients without a proven diagnosis must be resisted.

Treatments For Gout Through The Ages

Gout causes sudden and severe joint pain that usually starts in the big toe. But other joints and areas around the joints can be affected, such as the ankle, knee and foot. Men are three times more likely than women to develop gout. It tends to affect men after age 40 and women after menopause. Gout symptoms can be confused with another type of arthritis called calcium pyrophosphate deposition .

Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs when symptoms begin. Talk to your health care provider about the correct dose. Many people will have another attack in the next 6 to12 months. Uric acid in the blood stream deposits in the joints and forms crystal collections. White cells are activated by these crystals, and inflammation .

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Attacks become more frequent and the pain may not go away as it used to. Joint damage may occur, which can lead to a loss of mobility. With proper management and treatment, this stage is preventable. There are no symptoms, but blood uric acid levels are high and crystals are forming in the joint. While oral medications address the uric acid buildup, people with gout will still experience pain and swelling in the affected areas.