Who Is Affected By Gout
Gout can affect anyone. It usually occurs earlier in men than women. It generally occurs after menopause in women. Men can be three times more likely than women to get it because they have higher levels of uric acid most of their lives. Women reach these uric acid levels after menopause.
People are more likely to get gout if they have:
- Obesity, or a lot of extra weight.
You are also more likely to develop gout if you:
- Consume a diet high in animal proteins
- Consume a significant amount of alcohol
- Are on water pills .
Diuretics Lower Blood Pressure But Raise Uric Acid Level
Diuretics, or water pills, are medications that increase urination to remove salt and water in the body. They can treat mild hypertension because less salt and water lowers blood volume.
However, diuretics increase uric acid levels and the risk of gout. Excessive depletion of water, or dehydration, can leave a high concentration of toxins like uric acid in the blood.
Remember to stay well hydrated when taking diuretics. If you are on diuretics and experiencing more gout flares, it would be wise to discuss alternative medication with your doctor.
Different Conditions But Similar Diet Plan
The National Institute of Health created the DASH eating plan to help lower blood pressure. Studies have shown it does lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and uric acid levels.
Does it help with gout? Yes. The DASH diet incorporates more fruits, vegetables, seeds, whole grains, low-fat/nonfat dairy and lean meats. The diet limits eating foods high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, high-fat dairy products, and certain oils. Also, other recommendations include consuming less salt, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and alcohol.
Theres nothing new to the DASH diet. It been around since 1992. However, it is a prudent starting point to improve your current crappy diet. Since the DASH diet recommends eating less gout-causing foods like meats, alcohol and high-fructose drinks, it is highly recommended to all gout sufferers.
When it comes to gout, the main issue is overeating those savory purine-rich foods like red meats and shellfish. For any diet, the biggest challenge is starting healthier habits like choosing more nutritional snacks and meals than unhealthy ones.
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What Happens When We Are Under Stress
When we are exposed to stress, the first thing our body will do is to use as much vitamin B5 as possible. The same applies to the pantothenic acid. But, whats even more concerning is the fact that our body will release the cortisol. This is a hormone which affects our body in so many ways. At the beginning, it will regulate energy levels and proteins, including metabolism in the body. But, when we are exposed to this hormone for a longer period of time, it will start causing side effects, severe ones.
Higher levels of cortisol will increase blood pressure, heart rate and also fat storing processes in the body. In other words, our body wont work properly and it will start decreasing its ability to fight more stress and similar issues. As such, we are more prone to a gout attack and we will definitely get one.
Most people get a gout attack in a case of a severe stress situation.; I personally know that stress, especially when it is present in massive amounts can cause a gout attack. Furthermore, this gout attack is more painful than any other simply because stress has a negative effect on the muscles. In addition, when we are exposed to the severe stress, it can trigger gout to appear for the first time. There is no a lot of treatments for this issue, but usually, patients get corticosteroid which should help them regulate the level of cortisol.
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How To Know If Your Gout Is Progressing
As you become more familiar with gout symptoms, you may be able to sense that a gout attack is coming on. Worsening of pain, swelling, redness, and warmth of the affected joint during the attack is the sign of progression of that attack, Dr. Meysami says.
In addition, the disease overall may progress with recurrent or more frequent gout attacks with longer duration, the involvement of more joints, and the presence of tophi, Dr. Meysami says.
If you have more than one gout flare a year, its really important to get on a regular gout medication, says Dr. Fields.
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What Are Future Possible Treatments Of Gout
Fortunately, present medications are successful in the vast majority of gout patients. But some patients cannot tolerate our present arsenal of gout medications. For others, these agents are not sufficiently effective. Therefore, new treatments are continually being sought. Some of the more promising include anakinra, rilonacept, canakinumab, BCX4208 and arhalofenate.
Can A Herbal Remedy Help Gout
Nettle has long been used by medicinal herbalists to help reduce the formation of crystalline build-up in the joints. It is often commonly used alongside herbs or herbal teas such as Golden Rod and Knotgrass which help to support the kidneys in removing the excess uric acid from the blood circulation.;
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Enjoy Sugary Beverages And Snacks In Moderation
Sweets abound during the holidays. Cookies, fruit punch, and other common party staples often contain high amounts of sugar, which can increase blood sugar levels. High blood sugar is linked to high uric acid, particularly in adults who are overweight or obese.
Avoiding soda, fruit juices, and other beverages and foods with high sugar content may help prevent gout flare-ups as you navigate the holidays this year.
About Uric Acid And Hyperuricemia
Now that you have known what exactly leads to the gout flare ups, you must have a brief idea of how the uric acid functions in the body. Uric acid is formed when the body breaks down the purines. The purines are a substance that can be found from certain foods that we eat, or are also available in the body cells. This amount of uric acid that is produced during the breaking down of the purines is eliminated from the body through kidneys or through urine. However, in some cases, people either produce too much of the uric acids or the kidneys fail to eliminate even the normal amount of uric acid that is produced. This is when hyperuricemia occurs and as a consequence, people get gout flare ups.
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How To Fight Gout Pain
Gout is an excruciatingly painful form of arthritis that often affects the feet. Dietary factors, such as red meat and alcohol, can trigger gout pain. However, medications and medical conditions can be a problem too, says Kenneth G. Saag, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.”Non-food items are the major risk factors for developing gout,” he says. Here are nine such triggers, which could be causing your gout pain.
The Four Stages Of Gout
Gout is best understood by seeing it as having four phases or stages :
Stage 1: High uric acid
Elevated uric acid without gout or kidney stone, this stage has no symptoms and is generally not treated.
Stage 2: Acute flares
This stage is marked by acute gout attacks causing pain and inflammation in one or more joints.
Stage 3: Intercritical periods
These are periods of time between acute attacks, during which a person feels normal but is at risk for recurrence of acute attacks.
Stage 4: Advanced gout
This is a stage of chronic gouty arthritis, in which there are lumps of uric acid, or tophi , frequent attacks of acute gout, and often a degree of pain even between attacks .
Figure 1: Stages of Gout
Figure 2: Illustration of Toe Joint with Gouty Tophus. normal toe joint; Urate crystals, shown in white, at the “bunion joint,” represent a gouty tophus.)
Figure 3: Progression of Gout
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How Can An Attack Of Gout Be Treated
The management of an acute attack of gout is very different from the prevention of subsequent attacks.
Treatments used for prevention, such as allopurinol can actually make things worse if given during an attack, and so need to be held back until the attack has resolved for several weeks.
There are a number of measures that can help resolve an attack of gout. See Table 2 for summary of treatment strategies for acute gout. One principle is that treatment for an attack of gout should be instituted quickly, since quick treatment can often be rewarded with a quick improvement.
If an attack of gout is allowed to last more than a day or so before treatment is started, the response to treatment may be much slower.
Table 2: Medications to treat acute attacks of gout
How Does Diet Impact Gout
Though diet isnt the only factor that leads to gout, it can play a role. To know why, its important to understand;what causes gout in the body .
Gout occurs when an excess of uric acid in the body crystallizes in the joints, most commonly in the big toes, fingers, wrists and knees. These sharp crystals cause sudden swelling and are the source of the pain associated with a gout attack.
Uric acid is produced naturally when the body breaks down purines. Most purine is produced inside the body, though purines are also contained in some foods. Normally, uric acid doesnt cause problems because the body is able to secrete it easily through urine. However, some people produce too much uric acid or are unable to secrete enough of it. In these cases, the result is gout.
Though the body produces uric acid naturally, making gout largely unavoidable, consumption of foods rich in purines can exacerbate the problem. In fact, one study found that high purine intake was associated with;five times greater risk of recurrent gout attacks .
In addition to foods rich in purine, those with gout should also avoid foods with lots of added sugars and refined carbs. Though more research needs to be done,;reducing glycemic index seems to correlate;with lower uric acid levels .
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How Can I Manage My Gout And Improve My Quality Of Life
Gout affects many aspects of daily living, including work and leisure activities. ;Fortunately, there are many low-cost self-management strategies that are proven to improve the quality of life of people with gout.
For gout in particular:
- Eat a healthy diet. Avoid foods that may trigger a gout flare, including foods high in purines , and limit alcohol intake .
CDCs Arthritis Program recommends five self-management strategies for managing arthritis and its symptoms. These can help with gout as well.
Can Gout Be Cured
Gout cannot be cured. However, most patients can manage their symptoms and largely avoid gout flare-ups. Your doctor will discuss diet and lifestyle changes that may help. If symptoms are intense, persistent, or highly resistant to these changes, prescription medication can;reduce;the level of uric acid in the body. Anti-inflammatory medication is used during attacks.
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So How Do You Avoid Or Limit Your Stress
Exercise, even some moderate exercise like taking a walk will do wonders. Intense or prolonged exercise may increase your cortisol levels besides putting excessive stress on your body; low intensity exercise may actually reduce your cortisol levels. You can even meditate, prayer may also help if you are religious, yoga, practicing relaxation techniques and even talking to a friend or family member about what stresses you.
You can also take B complex vitamins supplement which may be effective in regulating stress and keeping cortisol levels in check. Other vitamins that may also help to control your cortisol levels are magnesium and vitamin C.;Dont also forget omega 3 fatty acids such as fish oil and herbs may also help reduce cortisol and stress; like green tea, valerian and ginseng.
Which Joints Are Involved In Gouty Arthritis And Why Is It Most Common In The Foot
As with all other known types of arthritis, Gout has particular joints it tends to attack, and the foot is its most common location. Gout especially favors the bunion joint, known as the first metatarsophalangeal joint , but the ankle, midfoot and knee are also common locations, as is the bursa that overlies the elbow.
The bunion joint is the first joint involved in 75% of patients and is ultimately involved in over 90% of those with this condition. . It is thought that this joint is especially involved in gout because it is the joint that receives the highest pounds per square inch of pressure when walking or running.
Late in gout, if untreated, multiple joints can be involved, including the fingers and wrists. The shoulder joint is very rarely involved by gout and the same is true of the hip.
Figure 5: Location of Gout Attacks
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What Is The First Sign Of Gout
Symptoms including swelling, redness, and tenderness in affected joints are usually noticeable before a painful gout attack happens. People with a history of gout should check the base of the big toe for changes that can alert them to a flare-up.What foods should I avoid during a gout flare-up?When managing a gout flare-up, it is important to discontinue consumption of beer and liquor right away. Other foods that should be reduced or eliminated include red meat, shellfish, liver, mackerel, and anchovies. All these foods contain a compound that leads to uric acid production.
Stage : Chronic Tophaceous Gout
This is the most debilitating form of gout. It usually takes a long time to developup to 10 yearsand is most common in those whose is not treated.
If your gout is chronic, you may continuously experience symptoms typical of other types of , including aching, sore joints. In addition, you may develop nodules of uric acid in the soft tissue around your joints. These are known as tophi and are most common on the fingers, elbows, and toes.
Uric acid can also eventually damage your bones and build up in your kidneys, causing and other damage.
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Hypertension Causes Major Complications
Regularly monitoring your blood pressure is quite important and yet overlooked. Hypertension does not usually show obvious or early symptoms. That is why it known as the silent killer. Your blood pressure can quickly rise and remain high without you knowing it until a major health issue happens.
Over time, unmanaged high blood pressure can cause serious complications: heart attack/failure, stroke, aneurysm, chronic kidney disease, eye damage, and clogged arteries.
Hypertension sets up disorders of lesser degree such as fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing and gout symptoms.
The link between gout and hyperuricemia are often overlooked even when 74% of chronic gout sufferers have high blood pressure. If you have hypertension, make sure to ask your doctor to test for your uric acid levels as well.
Here is a fantastic video illustrating high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and plaque.;
How Might The Stress Of Covid
Date: 01/21/2021 | Topics : About Gout, Gout Symptoms, Lifestyle Tips for Gout,
For many people, the outbreak of coronavirus is a major source of fear and anxiety.1 If you have gout, the extra stress you may be feeling could affect you in ways you might not expect.2,3 Some folks with the disease are wondering: How might the stress of COVID-19 affect people with gout?
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Tips For Preventing A Gout Flare
Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis that can appear suddenly and painfully. If you have gout, your body has higher-than-normal levels of uric acid. The uric acid collects around joints in your body typically in your feet or at the base of your big toe. Uric crystals form on the joint when enough acid builds up, and you experience a gout flare-up.;
Gout flare-ups feel like intense pain in the affected joint. Warmth, swelling, and tenderness often come along with the pain. Flare-ups come and go, and any number of factors can cause an increase in uric acid that triggers gout.;
If you have gout, find top-quality gout care at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle in the central Tennessee area. Our expert team of podiatrists has a combined total of over 50 years of experience treating gout.;
Let us help you learn what triggers your gout flare-ups to minimize and prevent future attacks. With the holidays coming up, it might seem hard to avoid some of the most common triggers, like food and stress, that cause gout flare-ups. Read on for our best tips for preventing gout flare-ups this holiday season.
