Gout Causes, Symptoms And Treatments

Content

• Types Of Gout
• What Gout Affects
• Swelling And Stiffness
• Use Our Arthritispower App To Manage Your Gout

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. Febuxostat is only recommended in those who cannot tolerate allopurinol.

Types Of Gout

Diuretics used to treat hypertension and heart disease can increase uric acid levels, and so can aspirin. Cyclosporine, a medication that suppresses the immune system and is used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, can also make you more likely to develop gout. Uric acid levels in the blood are important to measure but can sometimes be misleading, especially if measured at the time of an acute attack.

Do not be afraid to ask friends and family for help when you are in a lot of pain. Most will want to help but may feel unsure of what to do. In addition to being male, several other risk factors increase your likelihood of developing gout.

What Gout Affects

Many people with gout have a high level of uric acid in the blood. However, the uric acid level may be normal, especially during an acute flare-up. Many people have high levels of uric acid in the blood but do not have flare-ups of gout; therefore, a blood test alone is not sufficient for diagnosis. Your doctor may also prescribe corticosteroids for acute gout attacks.

Is Deep heat good for gout?

Gout remedies: Ice or heat
For some people, holding an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas on the painful joint for 15-20 minutes may relieve pain. “But for [others], it makes pain worse,” Wei says. In that case, try a moist heating pad, which might keep painful crystals from forming, he suggests.

This treatment is positive and it also decreases blood uric acid levels. The diagnosis of gout is based on personal and family history and examination by a physician or other health care professional. X-rays may be done to look for abnormal changes in bones and joints. The doctor also may test joint fluid to check for uric acid crystals. Key elements necessary to improve clinical outcomes in gout management include enhancing health professional and patient education as well as exploring novel urate-lowering agents. One of the most valuable health care professionals when assisting clinicians in the treatment of gout is the pharmacist.

Swelling And Stiffness

Major illness or certain medical conditions, such as rapid weight loss or high blood pressure. After diagnosing gout, a doctor will typically prescribe an OTC pain reliever like colchicine, which reduces gout pain, swelling, and inflammation when taken within the first 36 hours of an attack. X-rays of the affected joints may show uric acid deposits and damage indicative of gouty arthritis. Patients who are overweight and have high blood pressure can also be at risk for gout.

Some people believe that black cherry juice or dried cherries have the same effect, but this has not been proven. However, drinking wine does not appear to increase the risk of gout. Some gout treatments have side effects that affect a patient's skin, kidneys, and joints. Longstanding untreated gout can lead to joint damage and physical deformity. Gouty arthritis is caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid in a joint.

Assuming no other medical problems that require an adjusted dose, for an attack of gout a patient would receive two tablets of colchicine, 0.6mg each, as soon as possible after a gout attack starts. They would then receive one additional tablet an hour later. Colchicine dose needs to be adjusted in patients with significantly decreased kidney function. Colchicine has interactions with certain other medications, most notably clarithromycin (Biaxin®).

Podagra is the medical term for inflammation at the base of the big toe. Gout can also affect the foot, knee, ankle, elbow, wrist, hands, or nearly any joint in the body. When gout is more severe or longstanding, multiple joints may be affected at the same time. This causes pain and joint stiffness in multiple joints.

Why Do Individuals Develop High Uric Acid Levels?

Try to avoid frequent or daily meals consisting of meat, seafood, and alcohol. As always you should drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Affecting approximately 4 percent of American adults, gout is a form of arthritis that causes severe pain. The goals of treatment are to reduce inflammation and the pain by controlling uric acid levels. This will minimize future attacks and the potential for joint and kidney damage.