The 4 Stages Of Gout

Content

• Blood Tests
• More Health News + Info
• Steps You Can Take To Prevent A Gout Flare
• Gout Treatment And Prevention
• Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
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Certain carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, wheat germ, and bran have moderate purine content but have not been shown to be significant gout risk factors. For those interested in achieving the maximal lowering of uric acid by dietary means, two “Gout Haters Cookbooks” are listed in the “Books about Gout” section below. and all four of their cookbooks can be purchased online. While some gout attacks will solve quickly by themselves, the majority will go on for a week, several weeks, or even longer if not treated. Since gout attacks are usually quite painful and often make walking difficult, most gout sufferers will request specific treatment for their painful condition. Abnormal inflammation probably contributes to increased risk, along with disorders common to the two conditions, such being overweight and having high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

Your doctor can prescribe a strong nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug to ease your pain. Some people can't take such medications, including anyone with kidney disease, bleeding ulcers, or extremely high blood pressure. In such cases, a doctor may prescribe a steroid to be taken orally or injected into the joint. You may want to consider stopping preventive medication if you have been symptom-free for about 1 year.

Blood Tests

Loss-of-function mutations in SLC2A9 and SLC22A12 causes low blood uric acid levels by reducing urate absorption and unopposed urate secretion. The crystallization of uric acid, often related to relatively high levels in the blood, is the underlying cause of gout. This can occur because of diet, genetic predisposition, or underexcretion of urate, the salts of uric acid.

After the pain goes away, you may notice some discomfort in the affected joint. This discomfort can last from a few days to a few weeks. Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis among men. About 6 percent of men in the United States have gout, while only about 2 percent of women have it. While some people with gout benefit from cutting back on foods that are high in purine, a chemical that contributes to uric acid formation, it is not clear how much purine intake makes a difference. Moderate changes to your eating style may help you feel better and reduce gout risks, and research suggests that purine-rich vegetables don’t trigger gout.

More Health News + Info

approximately 2 out of 100 people in the United States. EmergeOrtho—Triangle Region board-certified doctors have the answers to all of your gout-related questions and the solutions to your discomfort. With fellowship-training in rheumatology , our team provides exceptional care that helps patients recover and return to normal activities as quickly as possible. Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. The content on Healthgrades does not provide medical advice.

How long do most gout attacks last?

An acute gout attack will generally reach its peak 12-24 hours after onset, and then will slowly begin to resolve even without treatment. Full recovery from a gout attack (without treatment) takes approximately 7-14 days.

Those with gout are at increased risk of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and kidney and cardiovascular disease and thus are at increased risk of death. It is unclear whether medications that lower urate affect cardiovascular disease risks. This may be partly due to its association with insulin resistance and obesity, but some of the increased risk appears to be independent.

The increased precipitation at low temperatures partly explains why the joints in the feet are most commonly affected. Rapid changes in uric acid may occur due to factors including trauma, surgery, chemotherapy and diuretics. The starting or increasing of urate-lowering medications can lead to an acute attack of gout with febuxostat of a particularly high risk.

Eating dairy products, vitamin C, coffee, and cherries may help prevent gout attacks, as does losing weight. Gout may be secondary to sleep apnea via the release of purines from oxygen-starved cells. Treatment of apnea can lessen the occurrence of attacks.

Gout Treatment And Prevention

Some patients have a genetic predisposition to gout, causing elevated levels of uric acid. Uric acid can also be a result of people’s diets and come from dietary sources , medications and certain disease states, such as chronic kidney disease and blood disorders. Gout is also more common in obese and elderly patients. Because allopurinol, febuxostat, and probenecid change serum and tissue uric acid levels, they may precipitate acute attacks of gout. To reduce this undesired effect, colchicine or low-dose NSAID treatment is provided for at least 6 months. In patients who cannot take colchicine or NSAIDs, low doses of prednisone can be considered.

At high levels, uric acid crystallizes and the crystals deposit in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues, resulting in an attack of gout. Gout occurs more commonly in those who regularly drink beer or sugar-sweetened beverages or who eat foods that are high in purines such as liver, shellfish, or anchovies, or are overweight. Diagnosis of gout may be confirmed by the presence of crystals in the joint fluid or in a deposit outside the joint. When gout is mild, infrequent, and uncomplicated, it can be treated with diet and lifestyle changes. However, studies have shown that even the most rigorous diet does not lower the serum uric acid enough to control severe gout, and therefore medications are generally necessary.