Gout Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, And Relation To Kidney Disease

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• Arthritis
• Health Information Sponsored
• Cancer Treatment
• Risk Factors For The Development Of Gout
• Gout: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

To learn more about these drugs and their side effects, visit the drug guide. Gout is an inflammatory type of arthritis that more commonly affects men. Having a chronic disease like arthritis affects many aspects of daily living and can cause stress. If you have more than one gout flare a year, it’s really important to get on a regular gout medication, says Dr. Fields. In almost all cases, it is possible to successfully treat gout and bring a gradual end to attacks.

These include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes , and high cholesterol. These conditions, especially diabetes and high blood pressure, can also increase the risk of kidney disease. Gout can be managed with dietary changes, medicine, and management of other conditions that raise uric acid levels. Most experts recommend that uric acid levels in the blood are reduced to stay below 6.0 mg/dL in order to prevent gout attacks. High blood pressure is another major risk factor for gout. It gets complicated, though, because the diuretics taken to lower high blood pressure increase uric acid levels, so the treatment as well as the disease is associated with gout.

Arthritis

While gout has painful and distinctive symptoms during flare-ups, its symptoms can be vague during other times. A doctor may extract a sample of joint fluid so it can be examined under a microscope for any presence of urate crystals, according to the NIAMS. Also called "gouty arthritis," gout is a painful form of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the body. If the doctor needs more information to diagnose health problems linked to uric acid levels, they may do a physical examination and ask questions about the person’s medical history and current symptoms. Fanconi syndrome can cause a lack of energy, dehydration, and problems with the bones.

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These medicines are used to prevent future gout attacks and keep the condition from becoming chronic. Medicines used to lower uric acid levels include allopurinol , febuxostat , lesinurad , probenecid and pegloticase . Allopurinol and febuxostat are considered first-line medications for preventing future gout attacks. However, with refractory gout, symptoms and high levels of uric acid (above 6 mg/dL) can continue, despite treatment. Therefore, other medicines, such as, lesinurad or probenecid might be considered for lowering uric acid levels, but they are generally not recommended for people with advanced CKD. Pegloticase is a medication available for refractory gout that is severe and does not improve with other treatments.

Can high uric acid be cured?

Patients can never be cured of gout. It is a long-term disease that can be controlled by a combination of medication to control the uric acid level, and anti-inflammation drugs to treat a flare-up.

if you need a reminder of what your last uric acid reading was. Since underexcretion causes 90% of hyperuricemia cases, improving and maintaining kidney function is important. Since the body produces all the purines it needs, purines from food sources result in excess amounts that are converted to uric acid.14 Lifestyle habits can play a role.

Find A Gout Specialist

A high level of uric acid has been linked to a high risk for death from heart conditions. Studies have also found an association between gout and having metabolic syndrome. This is a collection of health problems, including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, and low HDL cholesterol level. This syndrome increases a person's risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Studies are being done to find out whether treating asymptomatic hyperuricemia in such people is beneficial. Since several other kinds of arthritis can mimic a gout attack, and since treatment is specific to gout, proper diagnosis is essential.

The most reliable method to diagnose gout is to have fluid removed from an inflamed joint and examined under a microscope for urate crystals. Many types of arthritis cannot be prevented and lack medical treatments that reliably work. Gout is different - the treatment is usually straightforward and highly effective. So, if you have gout, ask your doctor about treatment options. Although gout is on the rise, there are now good treatment options for this ancient disease.

The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Gout

Medications to treat other conditions can increase uric acid level. For example, certain diuretics and low dose daily aspirin can affect uric acid level. Low doses of NSAIDs or colchicine are used during several months after starting urate-lowering medicine to prevent gout attacks.

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Aspirin and other salicylates have varying effects on uric acid. At low aspirin levels , aspirin can increase blood uric acid. On the other hand, in high doses , aspirin actually lowers the concentration of uric acid. Some of the risk factors for gout are genetic, and those are not preventable.

How can I reduce uric acid in my body?

Natural Ways to Reduce Uric Acid in the Body 1. Limit purine-rich foods.
2. Avoid sugar.
3. Avoid alcohol.
4. Lose weight.
5. Balance insulin.
6. Add fiber.
7. Reduce stress.
8. Check medications and supplements.

It is the end-product of the breakdown of purine, which is produced in the digestion of certain proteins and DNA, that gets released into the bloodstream when cells get old and die. Our science team must pass long technical science tests, difficult logical reasoning and reading comprehension tests. They are continually monitored by our internal peer-review process and if we see anyone making material science errors, we don't let them write for us again.

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Gout is associated with obesity, and significant weight loss can dramatically improve the management of gout. Allopurinol is well tolerated by most people, but in some people, it can cause an allergic rash. Very severe rashes rarely can occur after taking allopurinol, and any allergic type rashes that develop while a patient is taking allopurinol are taken seriously. Some gout treatments have side effects that affect a patient's skin, kidneys, and joints.

Elevated blood parathyroid hormone levels are associated with higher blood uric acid levels in the general population. Although exact mechanisms are unclear, it is thought that parathyroid hormone increases blood uric acid by reducing kidney urate excretion . According to a population-based study, alcohol-related diseases were significantly associated with gout risk. Also, severe alcohol-dependent patients had an increased risk of gout . High dietary intake of fructose in foods and drinks increase the production of inosine and purines.

Risk Factors For The Development Of Gout

Treatment also can decrease the number and size of tophi . Lifestyle changes such as controlling weight, limiting alcohol intake and limiting meals with meats and fish rich in purines also can help control gout. Intensely painful, swelling joints and/or bouts of arthritis that come and go may indicate gout. If you don’t have a gout specialist, use this “Find a Gout Specialist” tool to identify healthcare professionals who are experienced treating chronic gout. Dr. Dee Dee Wu is a rheumatologist who specializes in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Doing this can improve the symptoms and reduce the risk of a gout flare. Keeping uric acid levels within a certain range can reduce pain, joint damage, and complications from gout. Eating a diet rich in meat and seafood and drinking beverages sweetened with fruit sugar increase levels of uric acid, which increases your risk of gout. Alcohol consumption, especially of beer, also increases the risk of gout.