because of this, the condition was known as rich mans disease or the disease of kings and is still thought of today by a lot of people as a long distant affliction from times past and not a very modern medical condition of today, but you would be wrong.
Gout (aka podagra) is ailment as prevalent now as in the past. in fact it is on the rise and now up to six million people in the USA and a further 2 percent of the western population suffer from it.
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| What Is Gout ? |
Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis caused by Hyperuricemia which is a build up of uric acid in the body.
This excess uric acid forms crystals in the blood that leads to inflammation usually of the big toe joint but it can affect other joints well such as knees, heels wrists and fingers.
Hyperuricmia is the underlying cause of gout and it will occur for a number of reasons mainly the under excretion of urate... these are the salts in uric acid.
Other causes also include diet and genetic predisposition.
10% of instances of gout can be attributed to dietary factors including the consumption of alcohol, meat, drinks sweetened with fructose and seafood.
Foods that can help with gout are vitamin c and dairy products. Couple this with a body fitness routine and you can reduce your chances of the condition getting worse or even reduce it this is partly due to their effect of reducing the body's insulin resistance.
How is gout diagnosed?
A test is performed by taking a small sample of the Synovial fluid from the inflamed and painful joint under local anesthetic. The fluid removed is then analyzed for infection and uric acid Chrystel's.
X-rays can sometimes show crystal deposits and bone damage as a result of repeated bouts of inflammation.
Getting a test done is very important as other medical conditions can mimic gout.
Gout symptoms.
Common symptoms of gout induced arthritis are. pain in the joint at the base of the big toe which is medically referred to as podagra this can be extremely painful and distressing to the sufferer. Other areas can be affected as well including elbows,wrists, fingers knees and ankles. Acute gout in a joint usually starts with pain in the joint, skin discoloration, tenderness of the area and a feeling of heat coming from the gout affected joint. The pain has been described as unbearable by sufferers and coupled with a fever these attacks are a pretty miserable and debilitating time for everyone affected. In most instances these attacks will continue on and off over the years.
These Painful gout attacks will continue if the sufferer does not address the main underlying cause of the attacks, the way to do this is simplicity itself... as gout is caused by a build up of uric acid in the body mainly caused by the foods the patient eats then the solution must be to eat the right foods to decrease the acid levels to an acceptable level in the body less than 5mg/dL
While there is medication available to help sufferers surly a more natural approach to treatment would be the most logical and beneficial, So by eating the right foods and staying healthy through exercise this can help the sufferer to, at worst to lessen their dependence on drugs and at best control the symptoms without any medication at all.
so by knowing how to reduce your pain during flare ups and keeping your uric acid at a lower more healthy level you can learn to manage your symptoms both in the short and long term.
Gout Treatments
Gout attacks or flare ups usually last a few days and improve quickly with a course of anti-inflammatory drugs if started as soon as the flare up starts, if the pain is very severe then the drug colchicine or a steroid injection into the joint is needed.
You can be pro active in preventing further flare ups of gout by avoiding foods that will help you control the build up of uric acid in the blood. and taking regular exercise.
Foods to avoid..
Oily fish, poultry, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, red meat, dark green vegetables, fried foods,
white flour, sugar, caffeine, eggs, lentils, yeast products, paracetamol, cakes, meat gravies, lunch meat, hot dogs, roasted nuts, dried fruits.
Avoid alcohol.
Avoid soft drinks sweetened with sugar, artificial sweetener is better.
Take regular exercise and try to keep your weight down.
Do not take aspirins and diuretics these can raise the uric acid levels in the blood.
Is new research being conducted in to the causes of gout?
Clinical studies are being conducted to find out which nsaids are the most effective treatment when it comes to
lowering the levels of uric acid in the blood. Also the study of the structure of the enzyme's that break down
purines in the body will help to understand how defective enzymes in the body can lead to gout.
Other research includes looking at the role of calcium deposits in the joints and the effect
of crystal deposits in the cartilage of joints.
Reference...
UK Gout Society
Gout ..Wikipedia,