The Impact Of Gout On Patients Lives

Content

• What Is Gout? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention
• Gout And Kidney Stones
• Complications Of Gout
• Comorbid Conditions And Gout
• About Gout

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. Talk to your healthcare provider about medications that can reduce uric acid levels.

What is the fastest way to get rid of uric acid crystals?

Too much alcohol may raise your uric acid level and bring on a gout episode. Drink at least 10-12 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.

Uric acid crystals in the joints cause gouty arthritis which can only be managed through a medically directed treatment plan. Gout is a type of arthritis that causes sudden joint inflammation, usually in a single joint. Left untreated, gout can cause irreversible joint damage, kidney problems, and tophi. The most reliable method to diagnose gout is to have fluid removed from an inflamed joint and examined under a microscope for urate crystals.

What Is Gout? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention

Joint Aspiration Joint aspiration is a procedure where fluid is drained from a joint with a needle and syringe for laboratory analysis. This may help determine the causes of joint swelling or arthritis. Hip Bursitis Bursitis of the hip results when the fluid-filled sac near the hip becomes inflamed due to localized soft tissue trauma or strain. Symptoms include stiffness and pain around the hip joint. If the hip bursa is not infected, hip bursitis can be treated with ice compresses, rest, and anti-inflammatory and pain medications. Cortisone Injection Cortisone injections are used to treat small areas of inflammation or widespread inflammation throughout the body.

Gout And Kidney Stones

Gout attacks can be managed with a medical treatment plan combined with making lifestyle choices to lower uric acid levels. Gout treatment plans provide ways to lower uric acid levels and promote joint health. Primary care providers , such as internists, who specialize in the diagnosis and medical treatment of adults. Some people with gout may be more likely to develop other conditions or complications, especially with the heart and kidneys. Gout is a type of arthritis that causes pain and swelling in your joints, usually as flares that last for a week or two, and then go away.

Several factors may cause the formation of these deposits. For example, the deposits may be caused by not drinking enough liquids. Because of this lack of fluid, the urine is unable to dissolve all the uric acid.

Complications Of Gout

Scientists have found that high animal protein slightly increased the risk for gout. New drugs are being developed that may be more versatile and safe in treating the elevated uric acid levels in patients with chronic gout. The joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site of an acute gout attack. Over time, they can harm joints, tendons, and other tissues.

Like allopurinol, the most common side-effect of febuxostat is causing gout to flare after this drug is started. As with allopurinol, it is reasonable whenever possible to add a preventative medication, such as colchicine, for at least the first six months after starting febuxostat to help avoid gout flares. Later on, as the total body uric acid decreases, this will generally no longer be needed. Research published in 2019 in Arthritis & Rheumatology also found that people with sleep apnea have an increased risk of gout, which is highest in the two years following diagnosis of the sleep disorder. Like gout, sleep apnea also raises risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke, and researchers think the two disorders share common mechanisms. High blood pressure is another major risk factor for gout.

However, the FDA has interpreted this study and put a warning on febuxostat that it should be used second line, after allopurinol. For those with a higher level, for example, 10.0 mg/dL, diet alone will not usually prevent gout. For the latter, even a very strict diet only reduces the blood uric acid by about 1 mg/dL- not enough, in general, to keep uric acid from precipitating in the joints. The cutoff where patients with gout seem to dramatically reduce their number of attacks is when their uric acid level is taken below 6.0 mg/dL. In the past, high doses of colchicine were used for gout attacks, but this tended to cause diarrhea in a large number of patients. It has been shown that lower doses of colchicine are as effective as high doses for an attack of gout, and much better tolerated.

Causes And Risk Factors

For acute attacks in large joints, fluid aspiration alone or with corticosteroids may help. X-rays do not usually show problems during the early stages of gout. X-rays may help find other problems with symptoms similar to gout. Tophi can be seen on x-rays before they can be found during a physical exam.

Sometimes, if gout lasts for many years, uric acid crystals can collect in the joints or tendons, under the skin, or on the outside the ears, forming a whitish deposit called a tophus. Since the 1800s, colchicine has been the standard treatment for acute gout. While colchicine is very effective, it often causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. These side effects are uncommon when this drug is given intravenously. Because of the unpleasant side effects of colchicine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have become the treatment of choice for most acute attacks of gout. The NSAID that is most widely used to treat acute gout is indomethacin.

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Dehydration Dehydration is the excessive loss of body water. There are a number of causes of dehydration including heat exposure, prolonged vigorous exercise, and some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of dehydration include headache, lightheadedness, constipation, and bad breath. Treatment for dehydration is to replace lost fluids and electrolytes.