Gout - Do I Have It? - What Caused It? - What Can I Do About It?

Gout is actually a form of arthritis and surprisingly common. Incidencies of Gout are on the increase in many countries possibly due to changes in diet.

Acute Gout attacks can be extremely painful. The pain is centred around the joints and can be debilitating.

Although the causes of Gout are not fully understood it is known to be associated with a build up of Uric acid in the blood.

Drugs can be used to improve the condition however changes in diet and other lifestyle influences can have better long term results.

What is Gout?

Simply put it is joint pain, a form of arthritis caused by a build up of Uric acid in the blood, this excess Uric acid causes sharp crystals of salt to form in the bloodstream. These salt crystals can then accumulate at joints causing inflammation and severe pain.

What Causes Gout?

Nobody really knows, that's why a definitive cure hasn't been found. Genetics may well play a part as do hormonal changes.

Alcohol certainly counts as a major contributor and it's the steriotypical cause. Alcohol not only increases the rate at which the body produces Uric acid but also reduces the ability of the kidneys to excrete it.

Given the importance of correctly functioning kidneys in excreting waste products it will be obvious that any defect in the kidneys greatly increases the risk of developing Gout.

Diet: Uric acid is produced from incorrect processing of enzymes called Purines. Some foods contain greater quantities of purines and avoidance will therefore reduce the risks and severity of Gout attacks. Examples of high Purine level foods include yeast (beer), some oily fish and meats.

What Are The Symptoms Of Gout?

The first signs of Gout can be short twinges of pain in a joint or joints usually in toes or fingers.

As the condition develops these painful attacks become more and more severe sometimes to the point where any pressure on the joint becomes unbearable.

At the height of an attack the area will become swollen, red and shiny and the skin condition will deteriorate.

Other side effects may occur such as loss of appetite and mild fever.

What Causes Gout Attacks?

There can be many triggers including:
.Stress
.Heavy Exercise
.Excessive Alcohol Consumption
.Illness
.Over Eating

What Are The Treatments For Gout?

Drugs can be used however they are usually restricted to patients with severe symptoms and can have dangerous side effects. They should only be prescribed by a specialist.

The safest and moste effective treatment by far is to adopt lifeatyle and diet changes.

The simplest things to do are avoid alcohol and reduce stress (not always so easy!. These two things can bring about quite dramatic reductions in the frequency and severity of attacks.

Reducing intake of Purine containing foods such as meat extracts, oily fish, mushrooms etc and increasing consumption of dark berries, tofu, soya etc.

Drinking lots of water greatly helps with the excretion of Uric acid through the kidneys.

Hopefully this short article has given a clear and concise overview of Gout symptoms and treatments. It is a fact that Gout is one of the conditions which can, in many cases, be better treated by the individual patient rather than by Doctors. By adopting some simple lifestyle changes and taking some sensible advice about diet long term relief from this painful condition can be found.