Gout Information

Content

• Acute Attack Pain Management
• Who Treats Gout?
• What Is Gout?
• What Is The Best Diet For Gout?
• Is Pseudogout The Same As Gout?
• What Should I Think About When Deciding About Gout Treatment?

Pseudogouthas similar symptoms to gout and is often confused with gout. Like gout, it is caused when painful crystals form in the joints. Unlike gout , pseudogout happens when there is too much calcium in the body. Gout is caused by monosodium urate crystal deposits in the joints. It may be caused by the body making too much uric acid. It may also be caused by eating a lot of foods that are high in purines.

These include high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, and some types of anemias. Left untreated, patients may suffer from recurrent painful and disabling acute attacks of gout. Joint damage and other complications of gout may occur. However, excellent treatments for gout are available, and most patients respond very well to gout treatment with a good prognosis.

Acute Attack Pain Management

With any of these medications, call a doctor if you think they are not working or if you are having other problems with the medication. A doctor may obtain a blood sample to look at cell counts, uric acid levels, kidney function, etc. The fluid is examined under a microscope to see if there are gout crystals or signs of a bacterial infection present. Sometimes other crystals can be found in the joint fluid, such as calcium pyrophosphate, which is caused by an entirely different condition called pseudogout ("like gout").

Who Treats Gout?

When tophi are present, the uric acid level in the bloodstream typically has been high for years. The presence of tophi indicates tophaceous gout and treatment with medications is necessary. These symptoms and signs usually affect a single joint.

Purine is found in food proteins and naturally occurring compounds in the body. Uric acid, under the right set of conditions, can form sharp, jagged crystals within joint spaces. In most cases, this occurs when the amount of uric acid in the blood is higher than normal , but it can occur even when uric acid levels are normal. Once crystals form in the joint, they irritate the surrounding tissue, causing inflammation as the body attempts to remove the irritation. This natural defense mechanism results in the symptoms of swelling, redness, and severe pain in and around the affected joint.

There are several things you can do to treat symptoms. Gout is usually not preventable through lifestyle changes alone. Many people with gout need medicines to get their gout under control. Gout attacks happen more at night and in the early morning rather than during the day.

Eating too much of certain foods such as salmon, liver, herring or sardines and drinking too much alcohol may trigger an episode of gout. Gout is a chronic disease that cannot be cured, but there are several helpful and widely accepted therapies available. The goals of gout treatment include managing the pain of current flares, lessening the severity and frequency of future flares, and preventing the onset of chronic gout.

Excess body weight leads to increased production of uric acid. Getting to and maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce your risk for gout flare-ups. With proper treatment, most people with gout are able to control their symptoms.

In rare cases, this drug can cause a severe allergic reaction. If you have a skin rash along with hives, itching, fever, nausea or muscle pain, contact your doctor right away. This drug also may make some people drowsy or less alert. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive or operate machinery. Hyperuricemia often is caused by using diuretic medications ("water pills"). Diuretics are used to get rid of excess body fluid and to lower high blood pressure.

About 15 people out of 100 with gout develop kidney stones. Identifying uric acid, which causes gout attacks, can lead to the diagnosis of gouty arthritis. Pegloticase is given by injection and breaks down uric acid. This drug is for patients who do not respond to other treatments or cannot tolerate them. New drugs to lower uric acid levels and to treat gout inflammation are under development. Health care providers may prescribe a short treatment course of anakinra , a biologic drug, though this medication is not FDA-approved for the treatment of gout.

How Does Gout Affect Quality Of Life?

Allopurinol and febuxostat may affect how well your liver works. Signs of liver problems can include feeling tired and weak, nausea, vomiting, yellowed skin or eyes , and dark-colored urine. Prevent or treat tophi--these medications include probenecid, sulfinpyrazone and allopurinol.

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.