Understanding Gout

Medical Condition

Pin-prick pain as if needles are eating your joints every hour, every day. In worse cases, you’ll see sharp crystal-like powder oozing out of your joints - all because your body can’t hold it anymore. That’s how painful and debilitating it feels to experience gout. You may experience burning, and the affected joint can become stiff and swollen. There will be days when you’ll be unable to move, walk or work.

Gout Facts

●   Gout is a rheumatic disease caused by a high level of uric acid in the bloodstream. It causes inflammation usually in one joint.

·            Symptoms and signs of gout include:

ü   Deposit of hard nodules of uric acid under the skin which is called tophi. Its presence indicates that treatment with medications is necessary.

ü  Pain, redness, and swelling in joints

ü  the hotness in the affected area

●   The most reliable method to diagnose is to take a sample of fluid removed from an inflamed joint. You’ll see these distinct uric acid crystals under the microscope.

●   Gout can be acute (short-lasting) or chronic (long-lasting).

●   Surgery, dehydration, sweetened beverages, red meat, and seafood triggers acute attacks of gout.

●   Gout that is untreated can cause irreversible joint damage and kidney problems.

●   Most gout cases can be treated with specific medications.

 What is Gout?

    Gout (urate crystal deposition disease) is a form of inflammatory disease triggered by the accumulation of monosodium crystals in joints. It is a type of arthritis that develops from high levels of uric acid in the blood. Acid can form needle-like crystals in the bone that cause irritating reactions, sudden, severe episodes of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling.

     Gout is usually common in men.  They have higher uric acid levels than women. It usually occurs to women only after menopause, possibly due to the drop in estrogen women experience.

 What are the Stages of Gout?

    An attack of gout usually comes on suddenly and can last for days.  Surprisingly various area of a first gout attack is in the big toe. Your heel, ankle, elbow, fingers, knee instep, wrist, and spine can also be affected as well.

The four stages of gout include:

●   Asymptomatic hyperuricemia:  In this stage, the patient has high levels of uric acid in the blood, but no other symptoms.

●    Acute Gout The type of gout is called a gout attack. It often affects only one joint. The affected joint is red and swollen which is a painful condition between 3 to 10 days. This pain will subside even without medication and return to the same joint or another.

●   Interval gout:  This is the stage that occurs between acute attacks.  No symptoms are present at this time.

●   Chronic Gout ( Tophaceous Gout) This type of gout may affect more than one joint. The patient may experience persistent, repeated episodes of pain and inflammation.

 What causes gout?

    Too much uric acid in your body causes gout. The result of the excess uric acid can increase the likelihood of hyperuricemia.

    Age and gender, genetics or it can run in the family, lifestyle choices, alcoholism, lead exposure,  certain medications, weight or obesity, such as diuretics (water pills), chronic decreased kidney function, and other health problems can trigger the attack.

 Symptoms and Signs of gout

        Gout usually becomes symptomatic suddenly without warning, it often attacks in the middle of the night. The pain is typically severe, reflecting the severity of inflammation in the joint, to the point that some excruciating experience of pain, joint redness, pain, and swelling in the big toe.

     The presence of tophi is another way to indicate that the body has been overloaded with uric acid. When tophi are present, the uric acid level in the bloodstream typically has been high for years.

     In some cases, some people are asymptomatic. It means, they do not experience the symptoms at all,  although they have high levels of uric acid in their blood. These people do not require treatment. Others, however, have acute or chronic symptoms requiring treatment.

How is gout diagnosed?

        The symptoms of gout may be nonspecific, and they often mimic other conditions making it very challenging to diagnose. The doctor will ask for the patient's health history and thoroughly review the signs and perform a physical examination, blood tests, ultrasound, or X-ray or take a sample from your joint to examine or measure the level of uric acid in your blood.

 When to see a doctor

        Anyone who has severe signs usually seeks medical care because of the intense pain. Call your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis of gout for optimal treatment.

Treatments

       Gout is a complex disorder that's becoming prevalent. It cannot be cured, but proper medication and medical management is the most important way to prevent recurrent attacks.

      People who suffer from frequent and painful attacks may also have to take medication to reduce the risk of complications. It is usually treated with anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like corticosteroids to alleviate the pain, and symptoms, prevent future flares and prevent damage to any joints. The treatment takes effect, the sooner your pain will go away. However, they must be used with caution, as they can irritate the digestive system and aggravate hypertension.

 How to Avoid Gout

     Besides taking the proper medicines, following a healthy lifestyle can help to keep,p gout symptoms under control. These include:

●   Diet. Limit or avoid those foods that are rich in purines and low in salt. Lose weight, if you’re overweight. Losing weight may help reduce your risk of future gout attacks.

●   Limit the number of alcoholic beverages you drink. These beverages, when consumed in excess, raise your risk of a gout flare-up.

●   Drink lots of water. It is a simple way to help reduce or flush uric acid from your body.

    Gout is a severe and painful disease that can potentially be debilitating and life-threatening if untreated.  Fortunately today, a person with gout who is well informed about their condition is more likely to lead a better quality of life. Staying up to date and taking decisive actions to manage the effects of their disease will make a real difference in the lives of people living with gout.