Gout is a chronic disease associated with the abnormal metabolism of uric acid which results in excess of uric acid in the blood and tissues. Uric acid is a substance present in our body and is excreted from kidney via urine. It is an important substance dissolved in the body that passes through urine. Gout occurs when the amount of uric acid exceeds in the body from its permitted limited. It occurs due to higher production and reduced elimination of uric acid from the body. When level of uric acid goes high it forms uric acid crystals.
Cause of Gout:
Body has an ability to maintain the uric acid levels in dissolvable forms. People with gout may either produce too much uric acid or their bodies have problem in removing the excessive uric acid from the body. There are various reasons that directly cause the disease. Gout may happen if your family has genetic defects of uric acid metabolism. Foods rich in purine may cause the disease, as they are known as the building blocks of the uric acid. If you are addicted to the soft drinks, you are prone to the increased amount of uric acid. Other factors that may cause gout include:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes – both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes
- Kidney disease
- High levels of fat and cholesterol levels
- Osteoarthritis symptoms
Other health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and kidney damage may lead to the gout.
Symptoms of Gout:
Most of the symptoms of Gout are acute and go visible at night. The disease primarily attacks the large joints of big toe. However in some cases it affects your feet, ankles and hands. The following are major symptoms of the gout:
- Warmth, pain, swelling
- Very red or purplish skin
- Limited movement in the affected joint.
- Peeling and itching of the skin
Diagnosis and Treatment of Gout:
While planning diagnosis and treatment for the disease, the primary motive of your doctor should be to relieve the pain and inflammation. A number of clinical tests are done to diagnose the disease. All these tests establish the presence of uric acid or urate crystals in the blood. Some of the primary tests to be done are include x-rays, synovial biopsy and uric acid test. Once tests are done, the doctors recommend range of medications to treat gout. These drugs include Colchicine, Uloric and Zyloprim.