Gout, What Do You Know About It?

The Egyptians were the first to identify gout over 4,000 years ago, a Greek physician Hippocrates, "father of medicine, " he wrote to the fight. Hippocrates even pointed out the connection between intense and temporary pain in the joints of gout and the consumption of alcohol and rich foods.

Understanding Gout has changed in recent years and the situation is considered rich, it was known as a "disease of kings, " gout is now known to affect everyone in all walks of life. Food and beverages may play a role in gout, but there are several other risk factors, including genes. And the American College of Rheumatology, Gout affects up to 3 million Americans, making it one of the most common form of arthritis.

If you have high levels of uric acid in the blood, then the stage is set for gout. Uric acid is a byproduct of the breakdown of body substances called purines. Purines are found naturally in the body and are also present in high levels in certain foods. When purines are broken down, the results of uric acid, and then to be carried through the bloodstream to the kidneys, and then flushed from the body through urine.

There are some people who have high levels of uric acid that accumulates in the bloodstream, a condition called hyperuricemia, which may be the result of excess purine in the body, caused by purine rich diet, or because the body produces too many purines. More commonly, it is the result of kidney 'inability to remove enough uric acid from the blood. There are times when a combination of two factors. Also, there are some people, not all, with hyperuricemia who have uric acid in blood in the form of sharp, needle-like crystals that can collect in the joint and it sets off an inflammatory reaction, which causes pain, swelling, and redness, this is gout.

Gout usually follows the pattern of "attacks" and after a period with little or no symptoms. Gout attacks usually come on suddenly, often at night, with intense pain and inflammation in the joints or joints. Without treatment, the pain usually lasts 5-10 days and then subsides, and You May not have another attack for several years. After several attacks, episodes of gout will often become more frequent and longer lasting.

toe joint is the most common site for gout and are usually the first joint affected, whereas other compounds may also be affected, like other joints in the foot and ankle, knee, elbow, and with more advanced and literate gihtruke May be involved. Gout can affect more than joints, crystals can collect in the urinary tract and kidney stones may form.

diagnosis of gout can usually be made ​​with a high degree of accuracy using a needle to take a sample of fluid from the affected joint, and then examine the fluid sample under a microscope for uric acid crystals. If this test is not available, the doctor will take into account symptoms such as hyperuricemia (blood test can determine this), and sudden and intense pain, especially in the big toe joint. Some people with gout will have lumps of uric acid crystals called tophus that may appear in the vicinity of the affected joint and is usually associated with advanced gout.

Gout is more common in men between the ages of 40 and 60, while women will develop gout at increasing rates after menopause.

an increase of uric acid in the blood can be found in foods high in purines and increase the risk of gout attacks. Seafood as mussels, sardines, herring and anchovies are high in purines, and so are red meat and offal such as liver, kidney, and pancreas in animals. All the alcohol causes the kidneys to excrete less uric acid, thus raising the level of uric acid in the blood, but beer, after this impact is also high in purines.

Diet is not the only factor that influences whether or not to develop gout or have another attack. There are people who eat foods that are high in purines and never get gout, while others can eat this food and still get gout.

Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure were all found an increased risk of gout, although it is not clear why they do. While rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis have the same effect. Also, diuretics or "water pills", as well as other medications, including cyclosporine, NEORAL, Sandimmune, and moderate doses of aspirin may increase the risk of gout, while low-dose aspirin to be taken to reduce heart attacks and strokes, are safe for people with gout.

For those people who have gout attacks, it is important that treatments to reduce blood levels of uric acid, such as uric acid levels go down in blood uric acid crystals in joints and tophi are reabsorbed back into the body and gout symptoms decrease or go away completely. But, if you leave your gout is left untreated, can cause serious problems in the joints, and after a while intermittent attacks, gout can become chronic, causing pain even between attacks and can damage the structure of the joint. Chronic gout can damage the kidneys, as well.

Treatment of gout attacks already in progress include doctors prescribe medicines that will immediately relieve the symptoms. Some of these medications include anti-inflammatory nonsterodial durgs or what is called NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) and indomethacin (Indocin). Other possibilities could include a strong anti-inflammatories such as corticosteroids. They can be taken by mouth or can be injected directly into painful joints. Colchicine is another drug that can be used during a gout attack to reduce symptoms, but it must be given in high doses to be effective in attack and can cause nausea and diarrhea.

I was diagnosed with gout in April this year. So far not given too much trouble, but I had some flares that made ​​me revaluate my eating habits.