Gout Information

Content

• Treating Gout With Medications
• Is There A Test For Gout?
• Learn More About Arthritis
• More Health News + Info
• Clinical Features Of Gout

If levels of uric acid build up in your system, it can precipitate a gout attack in your joints. Gout is one of the most frequently referenced medical disorders in the history of mankind. Gout is the result of an abnormality of the body's ability to process uric acid.

A sample of fluid taken from your joint can show whether it contains uric acid. The doctor may also want to take an X-ray of your joint. Find out which foods are especially high in gout-producing purines. The buildup of uric acid in your blood from the breakdown of purines causes gout. THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health.

Treating Gout With Medications

A gout attack may be triggered either by release of crystals or by precipitation of crystals in a supersaturated microenvironment . Whether or not you take medication for your gout, it is important to limit your intake of foods high in purines. For the first six months after starting allopurinol for gout, your diet is especially important in helping to prevent attacks.

Men can be three times more likely than women to get it because they have higher levels of uric acid most of their lives. Research is being done on using medications that block a chemical signal known as interleukin-1 to treat gout flares in patients who do not respond to other therapies. Anakinra and canakinumab are two medications that block interleukin-1. They are currently used for other conditions and are under investigation for use in gout flare-ups. Gout attacks can be managed with a medical treatment plan combined with making lifestyle choices to lower uric acid levels.

Is There A Test For Gout?

While the pain and swelling completely go away, gouty arthritis commonly returns in the same joint or in another joint. Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications are the mainstay of treatment for gout. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , colchicine , and corticosteroids are used to decrease joint inflammation.

Gout Big Toe

The pain is typically severe, reflecting the severity of inflammation in the joint. The affected joint is often very sensitive to touch to the point that some people with gout attacks experience pain from something as simple as pulling the bedsheets over the inflamed joint. The medical term for excessive fluid in a joint is a "joint effusion." When uric acid crystals build up in joints for a long time, they produce hard deposits called tophi under the skin. Without treatment, these tophi can damage bone and cartilage and leave the joints permanently disfigured.

Can drinking water flush out uric acid?

DO: Drink Water
And if you're having a flare, increase your intake to 16 glasses a day! The water helps to flush uric acid from your system.

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. Without treatment, an acute attack of gout usually resolves in five to seven days; however, 60% of people have a second attack within one year. 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.

Learn More About Arthritis

A 24-hour urine collection to detect uric acid excretion is not routinely performed. Collection and dietary restrictions are difficult, and most patients receive allopurinol for chronic urate-lowering therapy regardless of the cause of hyperuricemia. Patients who have only occasional attacks of gout, may only need to take these medicines for 2-3 weeks. Whereas patients with multiple tophi may need to continue treatment for months. Probenecid is an alternative uric acid lowering medicine with fewer significant side effects than allopurinol.

Essential oils are plant-based substances used in aromatherapy. Some oils are thought to have anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, and antibacterial effects. Sugar-sweetened beverages and foods containing the sugar fructose can also be problematic, even though they don’t contain purines. Gout can also attack joints such as the elbows and knees. Colchicine is an alternative for those unable to tolerate NSAIDs. At lower doses, which are still effective, it is well tolerated.

If you have any concerns with your skin or its treatment, see a dermatologist for advice. Although lifestyle changes rarely result in adequate reduction in plasma urate without medication, the following are recommended. of the legs that ulcerate and drain a fluid that contains MSU crystals. You have several attacks during the same year or your attacks are quite severe. Your provider may inject the inflamed joint with steroids to relieve the pain.

Eating high-purine foods can increase your risk of the disease, but other culprits play a role too. For example, people who are overweight have more body tissue; more body tissue means more purines that need to be broken down, producing more uric acid in the process. If you have high blood pressure or an underactive thyroid gland, you may be more likely to have higher levels of uric acid. Or, if someone in your family developed gout in the past, your genetics may be partly to blame. Many people with gout or experiencing a gout attack drink cherry juice or consume cherries.