Got Gout?

Gout is a disease that is chronic in nature. Chronic means that the disease has the potential or ability to reoccur over one’s lifetime. Gout is also known as Gouty Arthritis.

Gout is most often an inherited disorder, in which the individual lacks the enzyme (special chemical in the body) that breaks down the purines that we eat in our food. As a result of not being able to break down the purines, uric acid builds up in some joints. When the uric acid builds up, the symptoms of gout appear.

The most common symptoms of gout are: severe pain particularly in the joint affected, fever, headache, nausea, and sometimes chills. Treatment of gout usually consists of an ice pack to the affected joint, and NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Sometimes an injection of corticosteroids into the affected joint is necessary. It is helpful for the person suffering from gout to minimize the amount of purines in the diet. However, it has been found that dairy products seem to lower the frequency of attacks of gout. So ice-cream lovers eat away! Your doctor may also prescribe certain preventative medications to decrease the number of attacks you may experience.

Gout can affect any joint in the body, but most often it affects the first joint on the big toe. Other joints frequently affected by gout are: joints of the feet, ankles, knees, and fingers.

Gout rarely affects children. More commonly men are affected than women. Gout also appears to affect people over the age of 30. When women are affected they are usually post menopausal.

Frank Wyatt