Gout Treatment, Diet, Cause, Symptoms, Definition & Medication

Content

• Medical Reviews By Field Experts
• Gout Vs Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Pathophysiology And Risk Factors
• Can Dietary Changes Prevent Gout?

If the crystals collect in your urinary tract, they can formkidney stones. because excess uric acid can builds up in the urinary tract and crystallize there. Urate crystals may collect in the urinary tracts of people with gout, causing kidney stones. Medications can help reduce the risk of kidney stones.

To reduce the risk of a rebound flare, preventive treatment and initiation of a tapered course of corticosteroids over 10 to 14 days is recommended after resolution of symptoms. Consuming foods and beverages that contain high levels of purines can trigger an attack of gout. Some foods contain more purines than others and have been associated with an increase of uric acid, which leads to gout.

Medical Reviews By Field Experts

If gout is not treated, the inflammation can cause damage to joints and tendons. Crystal deposits on tendons can cause the skin to wear down, which can lead to infection. In addition, tendons can tear, which can lead to loss of function. There are medicines, splints, and compression modalities to help swelling and lessen the gout pain. If your gouthas worn out the joints, or if tendons have been hurt, surgery may be needed. When the gout episodes are infrequent, an NSAID or colchicine can be used as needed.

However, many people with high levels of serum urate will not develop gout. Doctors can also do a blood test to measure the levels of uric acid in the blood, but, as mentioned, people with high uric acid levels do not always experience gout. Equally, some people can develop the symptoms of gout without having increased levels of uric acid in the blood. Gout is considered when a patient reports a history of repeated attacks of painful arthritis, especially at the base of the toes or in the ankles and knees.

Gout Vs Rheumatoid Arthritis

Generally, doctors want the blood uric acid level to be below 6.0 mg/dL. This level of uric acid is referred to as the "target level" or "goal" of therapy. A healthy, balanced diet is beneficial for many chronic conditions, including gout.

The high concentration of uric acid in the blood will eventually convert the acid into urate crystals, which can then accumulate around the joints and soft tissues. Deposits of the needle-like urate crystals are responsible for the inflammation and the painful symptoms of gout. Other medications such as probenecid and allopurinol , are used for managing the underlying metabolic derangement that causes hyperuricemia and gout.

Pathophysiology And Risk Factors

The American College of Rheumatology advises against consuming cherry juice or extract for a gout attack. If you are interested in non-medication therapy, talk with your doctor about eating cherries, drinking cherry juice concentrate, or taking cherry-containing supplements. Daily cherry juice concentrate may be appropriate as an add-on therapy for people who are also on urate-lowering therapy to prevent gout attacks.

How can you tell the difference between gout and arthritis?

Both cause pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints that can limit your range of motion. However, the cause differs. RA is an autoimmune disease, which means the body's own immune system attacks the joints, whereas the pain of gout is due to elevated levels of uric acid in the blood.

Underexcretion of uric acid by the kidney is the primary cause of hyperuricemia in about 90% of cases, while overproduction is the cause in less than 10%. About 10% of people with hyperuricemia develop gout at some point in their lifetimes. The risk, however, varies depending on the degree of hyperuricemia. When levels are between 415 and 530 μmol/l (7 and 8.9 mg/dl), the risk is 0.5% per year, while in those with a level greater than 535 μmol/l (9 mg/dL), the risk is 4.5% per year.

Stomach problems usually go away as your body adjusts to the drug. In rare cases, allopurinol can cause a severe allergic reaction. Over time, the uric acid crystals and inflammation associated with gout can lead to vision complications. They can include tophi in the eyelids, cornea, and iris; dry eye syndrome; uveitis; glaucoma; and cataracts, which cloud the lens of the eye and impair vision. There have also been cases of uric acid crystal deposits detected in eye tissue and on spinal cord tissue, which is known as spinal gout.

H&E stain, high power, showing that most urate crystals have been dissolved but that some pale brown-gray crystals did survive processing. Strongly negative birefringent, needle-shaped crystals diagnostic of gout obtained from acutely inflamed joint. Lai SW, Kuo YH, Liao KF. Risk of gout flares after vaccination.