Gout Symptoms

What Is Gout

Gout is a result of a build-up of uric acid that causes severe pain and inflammation in joints. This build-up deposits urate crystals in the body most commonly the joints which produces painful arthritis. The most common place for this pain is the big toe but any joints are susceptible to an attack of gout.

Symptoms of Gout

Gout symptoms are easy enough to spot and are incredibly hard to ignore. The defining symptom of this disease is the severe and often times unbearable pain in the big toe. This condition is referred to as podagra and is severe enough to wake a person from a deep sleep.

The joint pain is not just restricted to the big toe. Other joints can also suffer as well including knees, ankles, and wrists. The pain is accompanied by swelling, redness, and extreme tenderness. The joint pain is the most severe during the first 12 to 24 hours with discomfort and less severe pain lingering for weeks after the attack.

Gout

Gout symptoms include:

• Severe pain
• Extreme tenderness of the affected are
• Redness
• Swelling
• Heat that radiates from the affected area

Causes

The causes of the disease are about as numerous as the symptoms. As mentioned earlier, uric acid is a primary cause due to the accumulation of the urate crystals that can form around joints. Under normal circumstances, uric acid is harmless and often passes through the body in the urine. However, a build-up of this acid can result in urate crystals. Uric acid is used to break down components of certain food. Purines are found in several foods including liver and anchovies which the uric acid works to get rid of. When the uric acid is produced at a high enough level it is unable to dissolve into the blood and instead forms the crystals which are deposited around the joints.

Risk Factors

It is crucial to understand all of the risk factors of gout. Seeking help when gout symptoms manifest itself will do little to spare the sufferer from the intense pain. So, understanding what the risk factors are can go a long way in preventive care to avoid the disease all together.

Lifestyle places a large role in who gets gout and who does not. Obesity is a risk factor as well as a poor diet. Especially for those who primarily eat foods that are high in purines will see an increase in the chance of developing gout. Alcohol consumption is another risk factor as the alcohol inhibits the function of the kidneys used to absorb the uric acid. If the body is unable to properly absorb the acid it will be deposited into joints and result in a severe case of gout.

It is important to know if family members have suffered from gout. Knowing if family members have experienced gout symptoms can help to prevent occurrence of the disease by recognizing the risk factor and moving to prevent it.

Other causes of gout can be linked to certain risk factors and include:

• High blood pressure
• Leukemia
• The use of diruetics
• Undergone an organ transplant
• Are a man
• Diabetes
• Have undergone menopause

Complications

Gout Complications

Ignoring gout symptoms and not seeking immediate medical attention for the disease can result in severe complications. It is important to take care of gout as soon as it manifests. While gout symptoms that are treated in a timely manner may not pose further risks to sufferers those who wait to seek out treatment or ignore risk factors are prone to difficulties as a result of the disease.

Recurrent Gout is just that, gout that occurs several times a year. While some people who suffer gout are spared the pain of gout symptoms there are those who will suffer from gout several times each year. There are medications available for those who suffer recurrent gout but again, it is important to seek out medical attention and follow the advice of the doctor when gout symptoms first appear.

Advanced gout occurs when the initial gout symptoms go untreated. In advanced gout, the sufferer will form nodules under the skin called tophi. The topi are deposits of urate crystals are only really painful during a gout attack.

Allowing gout to go untreated may also result in an array of medical issues.

• Lung complications
• Cataracts
• Heart disease

Kidney stones are yet another possible complication from gout. The urate crystals can form in the urinary tract of those afflicted with the disease which in turn create the kidney stones. Extremely painful, kidney stones can be prevented with certain types of medication.

Gout Prevention

Preventing gout is crucial especially those that experience several of the risk factors associated with the disease. While understanding what causes gout symptoms and avoiding those conditions are important there are also other methods of prevention.

Medications are often prescribed to gout sufferers and have been shown to be very effective in the treatment process. Many of the medications are designed to help reduce future gout attacks such as low dose NSAIDs. Preventive care remains the most crucial way to avoid gout symptoms all together.

Changing to a diet that excludes those foods that are high in purines can help prevent gout. Severely reducing alcohol intake or excluding it completely is also suggested.

Other ways to prevent gout are:

• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Follow a healthy diet suitable for age and medical history
• Exercise regularly

Gout is classified as a progressive and chronic disease. Having a better understanding of the disease and of gout symptoms can help to insure a healthy and active lifestyle.

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