What Is Gout? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, And Prevention

Content

• History And Etymology For Gout
• Genetics, Not Diet, Is Likely Cause Of Gout
• Gout Treatment And Prevention
• Therapy For Acute Attacks
• Points To Remember About Gout
• Kidney

Get the latest scientific news and resources on diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and skin from the NIAMS. Always talk with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or medications. Putting ice on the affected area to help reduce swelling and pain. Pharmacists, who dispense medications and teach people about the medications, including the importance of taking them as prescribed.

Treatment choices depend on kidney function, other health problems, personal preferences and other factors. Gout treatment aims for a uric acid level of 6 mg/ dL or lower to dissolve or prevent crystals. Finding the characteristic crystals in the fluid of joints allows health care providers to correctly diagnose gout.

History And Etymology For Gout

However, it is quite possible to diagnose gout without removing joint fluid in people with “classical” gout symptoms, physical exam and elevated urate levels. Because the symptoms of gout tend to mimic those of other forms of arthritis, doctors may have trouble finding a diagnosis right away. To test for gout, physicians use a needle to draw out joint fluid from the affected area, then they look for uric acid crystals under the microscope. First identified by the Egyptians in 2640 BC, podagra was later recognized by Hippocrates in the fifth century BC, who referred to it as 'the unwalkable disease'. Throughout history, gout has been associated with rich foods and excessive alcohol consumption.

Genetics, Not Diet, Is Likely Cause Of Gout

For many people, gout flares consistently affect a single lower-body joint at a time, such as the big toe, ankle, heel, or knee. Inflammation can also occur in a finger, wrist, elbow, or other joint area. The symptoms can range from mild to severe and often begin in the middle of the night.

One condition that is easily confused with gout is pseudogout. The symptoms of pseudogout are very similar to those of gout, although thr flare-ups are usually less severe. Medications can also be used to either reduce the production of uric acid or improve the kidney’s ability to remove uric acid from the body .

Gout Symptoms And Complications

Gout is a type of arthritis that causes sudden joint inflammation, usually in a single joint. Severe gout can sometimes affect many joints at once. Left untreated, gout can cause irreversible joint damage, kidney problems, and tophi. Probenecid and Lesinurad help the kidneys remove uric acid. Only patients with good kidney function who do not overproduce uric acid should take these therapies.

There is ongoing research in using a specialized CT scan known as a dual energy CT scan to diagnose gout. There is also a great deal of research investigating the various uric acid transporter genes that are responsible for uric acid metabolism. Drinking beverages sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup increases the risk of gout. The consumption of low-fat dairy products decreases the risk of gout.

Gout Treatment And Prevention

Metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease probably contribute to premature death in people with gout. Gout, caused by high blood levels of uric acid , often runs in families. Usually, gout develops during middle age in men and after menopause in women. Gout is rare in younger people but is often more severe in people who develop the disorder before age 30. In particular, 3 genes are noted to have a strong association with hyperuricemia.

The Gout Education Society

Joint fluid test, in which the doctor uses a needle to draw a sample of fluid from the affected joint and evaluate it for uric acid crystals, which can be directly visualized using a microscope. Crystals may also be found under the skin in deposits known as tophi, which indicate advanced gout. Because the symptoms of gout can mimic those of other types of arthritis, an accurate diagnosis is a critical step toward finding effective gout treatment. Your primary care provider will likely refer you to a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in various types of arthritis, to make a gout diagnosis and discuss treatment options. Pseudogout is linked to imbalances of minerals, including excess calcium or a lack of magnesium.

Doctors place gout under the umbrella term “arthritis” — a broad range of joint diseases and joint pain. Some forms of arthritis inflame joints, while others don’t. The most reliable method to diagnose gout is by demonstrating uric acid crystals in joint fluid that has been removed from an inflamed joint . Specially trained physicians, such as a rheumatologist or orthopedist, can carefully remove fluid from the joint. The fluid is then examined under a microscope to determine if uric acid crystals are present.

It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, colchicine, corticosteroids, or interleukin-1 inhibitors are used to treat acute disease. Arthrocentesis with synovial fluid analysis shows strongly negative birefringent needle-shaped crystals under polarized light. Long-term management for gout is significantly dependent upon the patient’s adherence to diet and compliance with medical treatment.

Are bananas good for gout?

Bananas are low in purines and high in vitamin C, which make them a good food to eat if you have gout. Changing your diet to include more low-purine foods, like bananas, can lower the amount of uric acid in your blood and reduce your risk of recurrent gout attacks.

The resulting inflammation causes pain, heat, and redness of the joint. Gout is a disease characterized by an abnormal metabolism of uric acid, resulting in an excess of uric acid in the tissues and blood. People with gout either produce too much uric acid, or more commonly, their kidneys are inadequate in removing it. Gout may occur alone or may be associated with other medical conditions or medications . This is because any medication or intervention that either increases or decreases the uric acid level in the bloodstream can trigger a gout attack. Prophylactic medications are not used in combination with Krystexxa.

If you stop taking your prescribed medicine, nothing may happen at first. But after a while, another gout attack is likely to occur. Without treatment, future attacks are likely to be more severe and occur more often. Gout is a form of arthritis, hence it causes pain and discomfort in the joints. A typical gout attack is characterized by the sudden onset of severe pain, swelling, warmth, and redness of a joint. The clinical presentation of acute gouty arthritis is not subtle with very few mimics other than a bacterial infection.

Kidney

Tophi can develop after a person has had gout for many years. Gout may occur after taking medicines that interfere with the removal of uric acid from the body. People who take certain medicines, such as hydrochlorothiazide and other water pills, may have a higher level of uric acid in the blood. AB Garrod was among the first to suggest that hyperuricemia could be controlled by lowering the intake of purine-rich food . At first, probenecid or sulfinpyrazone may increase your risk for kidney stones by increasing the uric acid content of the urine. To prevent this problem, keep your urine diluted by drinking eight ounce glasses of fluid every day.