Gout: What is it and How can it be Prevented?

On many occasions we have heard about this disease, but sometimes we do not know very well what it is and how Gout can develop.
Well, Gout is considered a rheumatic disease that occurs due to the accumulation of uric acid microcrystals in the joints, generating arthritis. When this accumulation of microcrystals is important, they will form small bumps under the skin of the joint, which are called tophi. In addition, these small accumulations of crystals will be easily palpable.

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The attack of Gout

The acute attack of gout occurs when there is an inflammatory reaction against the uric acid crystals deposited in a particular joint, which manifests itself as pain, redness, heat and swelling of the affected joint.

The attack of gout usually occurs at night and may be accompanied by fever. In most cases it is the joint between the forefoot and the big toe, but it can affect other joints of the foot, the ankle, the knee, the hand, the wrist or the elbow. The attack is very painful and usually lasts a few days, after which the joint recovers within one to three weeks.

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Chronic Gout

If left untreated, the attacks continue to occur periodically, while the uric acid crystals progressively infiltrate the various joints, eventually leading to their wear and tear and deformation. This is the phase known as chronic gout. The formation of whitish nodules around the joints or under the skin, called tophi, which are nothing more than accumulations of crystallized uric acid, can also be observed.

The diagnosis of gout is established on the basis of the symptoms and the presence of hyperuricemia, although the concentration of uric acid in the blood may be normal during the acute attack. In case of doubt, it is advisable to analyze a sample of joint fluid, since there are similar conditions, such as chondrocalcinosis or pseudogout, which is characterized by recurrent attacks of arthritis caused by the accumulation of calcium pyrophosphate crystals.

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Causes of the appearance of Gout

The main cause for a person to suffer from gout is due to an increase of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a substance that is dissolved or diluted in the blood, and then expelled through urine. But on the other hand, we must comment that another cause of gout disease is due to a kidney malfunction. The kidney is the organ in charge of filtering the uric acid generated by our body. Thus, when the kidney does not perform a correct filtering, there is an increase of uric acid in the blood and consequently one can suffer Gout attacks. We must say that there are several risk factors by which a person can come to suffer this pathology.

Risk Factors

If one suffers arterial hypertension. But there are also other medical conditions that make the patient has a high percentage to suffer Gout. Some of these conditions that we can point out are such as diabetes, heart disease, metabolic disorders and kidney disease.

Excessive alcohol consumption.

On the other hand, if food containing a high percentage of uric acid is consumed excessively. An example of these foods are seafood or red meat.

Suffering from obesity is another important risk factor for suffering from Gout, since the body generates more uric acid and the kidneys have a harder time filtering the blood.

It has been proved that Gout has a certain family component. That is to say, if there is a family member who has suffered from this disease, the probabilities of suffering from it increase.

And hypothyroidism is another risk factor that we can mention.

Studies have shown that gout affects more men whose age is between 30 and 50 years old. It is more frequent in men, since women have lower uric acid levels in the blood. But this changes when women reach menopause, when uric acid levels in the blood increase considerably due to the hormonal state experienced.

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Treatment to follow in Gout

As we have indicated above, it is very important to start as soon as possible with a correct treatment, since this will prevent the joint from suffering and, consequently, other additional pathologies will be generated.

The treatment to follow will consist mainly of medication and, above all, a correct prevention in order not to increase the risk factors for suffering a gout attack.

The intake of medication must be prescribed by the corresponding physician, once the patient has been evaluated and the results of the diagnostic tests performed have been studied in depth.

The treatment to follow will be based, on the one hand:

• In reducing and stabilizing the levels of uric acid in the blood.
• And also to reduce the pain generated by the outbreaks of gout.
• On the other hand, it is essential to follow a series of recommendations to avoid as far as possible to lengthen the time distance between one crisis and another.

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