Gout Attack Symptoms, Causes, Treatment And Diet

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• Get The Most From Your Virtual Doctor Visits
• Why Flare
• Should You Take Cbd For Arthritis Pain? A New Guide Aims To Help You Decide

The classic location for gout to occur is the big toe . 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. Limit the amount of high-fructose drinks, such as non-diet soda.

Get The Most From Your Virtual Doctor Visits

During an acute gout attack, the purpose of treatment is to control inflammation caused by uric acid crystals and to manage the pain associated with this inflammation. Medications available to control pain and inflammation include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , colchicine, and corticosteroids. The customary treatment of choice for an acute gout attack is an NSAID. Although indomethacin is the NSAID generally used, all NSAIDs can be effective in treating a gout flare-up. Some patients, including those with heart failure, liver disease, ulcers, or improperly working kidneys, those taking medications called anticoagulants , and the elderly, cannot take NSAIDs. Uric acid is a normal by-product of chemical reactions that break down purine, which is an important component of the amino acids found in proteins.

While a blood test doesn’t provide a definitive diagnosis of gout, it helps the provider understand whether this is a potential diagnosis. Also, blood tests for diabetes and kidney function along with standard CBC and urinalysis. Long-term medicine treatment depends on how high your uric acid levels are and how likely other gout attacks are. In general, the higher your uric acid levels and the more often you have attacks, the more likely it is that long-term medicine treatment will help. To prevent future attacks, your doctor can prescribe a medicine to reduce uric acid buildup in your blood.

Why Flare

Patients who have repeated gout flares, abnormally high levels of blood uric acid, or tophi or kidney stones should strongly consider medicines to lower blood uric acid levels. These medications do not help the painful flares of acute gout, so most patients should start taking them after acute attacks subside. The drug most often used to return blood levels of uric acid to normal is allopurinol . Discuss with your doctor medications you are taking because certain medications such as diuretics (sometimes called "water pills") may also increase your risk of gout.

Discontinue allopurinol if you develop a rash or a fever, and call your doctor. Some complications with the short-term use of corticosteroids include altered mood, elevated blood pressure, and problems with glucose control in patients with diabetes. To treat the hot, swollen joint, colchicine is given rapidly . Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Examples include indomethacin , ibuprofen , and naproxen . Gouty arthritis is sometimes diagnosed based on the typical clinical presentation without a joint aspiration. There are many online resources for information and support for people with gout.

Gout is a general term for a variety of conditions caused by a buildup of uric acid. Gout affects many aspects of daily living, including work and leisure activities. Fortunately, there are many low-cost self-management strategies that are proven to improve the quality of life of people with gout.

Can Gout Be Prevented Or Avoided?

People with gout have a higher risk for kidney stones. Crystal deposits in the joints can cause some disability because of stiffness and pain. For unknown reasons, not all people who have an abnormally high level of uric acid in the blood develop gout. Thus, gout should not be diagnosed by blood test alone.

How do you flush uric acid crystals from joints?

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.

High doses of anti-inflammatory medications are used to control the inflammation and can be tapered off within a couple of weeks. Ice packs can be helpful in relieving pain and reducing inflammation. While a joint is hot and swollen, use a cane or similar support to keep weight off that joint. A needle is inserted into the joint to withdraw a sample of fluid for testing.

Rheumatoid Arthritis And Gout: Whats The Difference?

Specific treatment of gout varies based on co-existing medical conditions and other medications you are taking. Deposits of uric acid can form lumps below the skin around joints or other places such as the elbows, fingertips, and ears. The lump is called a tophus, from Latin, meaning a type of stone.

The pain also frequently starts during the night and is often described as throbbing, crushing, or excruciating. The joint may also appear warm and red and is usually very tender . The process starts with a medical history and a physical exam. A fluid sample may be taken from the joint and checked for urate crystals. Purines are a group of chemicals present in all body tissues and in many foods. Our bodies are continually processing purines, breaking them down and recycling or removing the byproducts.

Some of the risk factors for gout are genetic, and those are not preventable. However, many of the risk factors for gout, such as obesity and diet, are controllable. Maintaining a healthy weight and a diet low in refined carbohydrates and low in saturated fat and red meat may prevent gout. Uric acid is formed when proteins in the food we eat, called purines, are broken down. Therefore, there has been a great deal of interest in dietary management of gout by avoiding high-purine (purine-rich) foods.

How painful is gout on a scale?

The pain during a gout flare is so excruciating that many visit the emergency room for care. On a typical pain scale, most people with gout will rank their pain as a nine or a 10 – with even the slightest touch causing agony.

Always consult a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment. THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the site.

Prevention

Gout is not curable, but it can be successfully managed with medical therapy and lifestyle changes. Its symptoms resemble those of several other diseases, disorders and conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis and pseudogout. Correction and prevention of hyperuricemia - Uricosuric drugs or allopurinol may be used alone or in conjunction. Hypouricemic therapy may also be used for patients with tophi and a higher recurrance rate. Dietary restriction of high-purine foods is a less effective treatment technique but is still recommended.

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There is another study about Electroacupuncture combined with local blocking therapy on acute gouty arthritis that shows an improvement in health status of the patients. This treatment is positive and it also decreases blood uric acid levels. Colchicine has been used to treat gout for over 2,400 years. It usually is taken by mouth in several small doses every day. It works best if taken during the first two days of an attack. When taken by mouth, colchicine can cause diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramps.