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What is Gout and How to Control Gout Symptoms
Gout is a type of arthritis. Gout symptoms can appear as a sudden attack of pain and burning, stiffness and swelling in the joint (usually in the big toe). These attacks can occur again and again unless the gout is treated. Over time, these attacks can damage joints, tendons, and other tissues. Gout is more common in men.
Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, or overeating meat and fish that contain high amounts of chemicals called purines will increase your chances of developing gout. Also, some medications, such as diuretics, can cause gout.
Table of Contents
Types of gout
Gout symptoms have three stages, with many people never experiencing the third stage.
- In the first stage, there is a high uric acid level in the patient’s blood but no symptoms. Uric acid levels may remain constant, and the patient may not have any symptoms. However, some people may develop kidney stones before the first gout attack.
- In the second stage, uric acid crystals gradually form (usually in the big toe). At this stage, gout attacks begin. After an attack, the affected joint looks normal. The time between these attacks may gradually shorten. However, subsequent gout attacks may be more severe, last longer, and involve other joints.
- In the third stage, the symptoms may not disappear. Gout attacks may affect more than one joint. Also, tiny nodules called Tophi may form under the skin.
Causes and Factors and Gout Symptoms
Large amounts of uric acid cause gout in the blood (hyperuricemia). The exact cause of hyperuricemia is unknown, although hereditary factors (genes) play a role in the occurrence of this disease.
Uric acid may crystallize and accumulate in the joints.
This causes pain and other symptoms.
Gout can appear suddenly without a specific cause, or the following factors can cause it:
- Certain conditions related to body weight and diet include being overweight, a diet rich in meat and seafood (purine-rich foods), and drinking too much alcohol.
- Medicines that may increase the concentration of uric acids, such as regular use of aspirin or niacin, or medicines that reduce the amount of salt and water in the body. (diuretics).
- Significant illnesses or unusual medical complications include rapid weight loss or high blood pressure.
- Having a rare congenital condition that causes high levels of uric acid in the blood. People with “Clay-Siegmiller” syndrome or “Lash-Nyhan” syndrome have a partial or complete lack of an enzyme that helps control uric acid levels.
Signs and symptoms of gout
Gout symptoms include:
Warmth, pain, swelling and sensitivity to intense touch in the joint (usually the joint of one of the big toes). This symptom is called podagra, which is one of the gout symptoms. The pain often begins at night, may worsen rapidly, last several hours, and be so severe that even the slightest pressure is unbearable.
Among other gout symptoms, the skin around the affected joint is red or purple. The joint may appear to be infected.
If the affected joint becomes limited in movement, it is a gout symptom.
Scaling and itching of the skin around the joint, at the same time as the gout attack subsides
Occurrence of different symptoms of gout
Gout symptoms may vary:
Some people do not experience gout as a painful attack. Instead, they have Gout almost all the time (chronic gout). Chronic gout in older people may be less painful and may be confused with other types of arthritis.
Gout Symptoms may lead to soft tissue inflammation of fluid sacs (bursae), especially in the elbow (elbow bursa) and knee (prepatellar bursitis).
Gout symptoms can also affect the joints of the feet, ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows.
Its symptoms may appear after an illness or surgery.
Gout Symptoms may initially appear as a nodule on the hand, elbow, or ear. The patient may not have any of the classic gout attack symptoms.
Many other conditions have symptoms similar to gout.
gout pain
When you have gout, uric acid crystals can go years without causing any symptoms; They form on your joints. If the blood level of the ovary is very high, These crystals are formed between the space of two joints. Depending on the hardness of the crystal formed, swelling, inflammation and pain will vary from person to person. The skin on the joint where the crystal is formed; In some cases, it is shiny and may be flaky. This type of sudden gout pain usually occurs quickly and often at night.
This sudden pain usually disappears after five to seven days but can last longer. If gout is not treated, sudden pains become more common and may spread to other joints.
Sudden gout pain usually starts in the big toe joint, often in the early morning. Any light contact with the affected joint is excruciating; Even the weight of socks can be unbearable. Although gout symptoms most often affect the big toe, other joints may also be affected, including:
Other leg joints
- ankle
- the knee
- Elbows
- wrist
- fingers
Sometimes gout symptoms are observed in many of these joints simultaneously, But usually, the symptoms of this disease are not common in the spine, shoulders or pelvis. The sudden pain of Gout Symptoms is widespread in the end joints of the legs and arms, such as the fingers and toes. One of the reasons for this is the low temperature of this part of the body, a condition that causes crystals to form in the body.
The degree of sudden pain of Gout Symptoms may vary from person to person. Some people only experience flare-ups every few years, while others may experience flare-ups every few months. Without medication, the frequency of sudden pain or gout symptoms will increase, affecting other joints as well. Among the complications and effects of gout on other parts of the body are:
Narrowing of the arteries can lead to an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, or other heart problems.
Osteoarthritis occurs when urate crystals and hard tophi cause joint damage.
Increased risk of kidney disease or worsening if you already have it.
kidney stone
Increased risk of certain cancers, especially prostate cancer
Mental health problems, including depression
Hypothyroidism
Erectile dysfunction
However, it should be noted that by taking medicine to reduce urate levels and having a healthy diet and lifestyle, most of the damage and complications caused by gout symptoms can be controlled and reduced.
What factors increase the risk of gout?
- family history
- Overweight
- Gender and age
- Taking some medications
What triggers gout?
Several things cause urate crystals to form; These are:
- Trauma or injury to the joint
- A disease that causes fever
- Consuming fatty foods
- drinking alcohol
- dehydration
Gout Symptoms Diagnosis Methods:
- blood test
- CTE scan
- Synovial fluid test
What to do during a gout attack?
As soon as you notice the onset of a gout attack, you should take any prescribed medication as soon as possible. These drugs will gradually take effect within two or three days.
Lie down and raise your legs.
Avoid hitting or damaging the affected joint.
Keep your joint cool. Remove the clothing around it and place an ice pack over it, such as a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel.
Keep the ice pack on your joint for about 20 minutes. Please do not touch the ice pack directly on the skin for over 20 minutes because it can damage your skin.
Treatment of Gout Symptoms
The treatment of gout symptoms varies depending on how far the disease has progressed. The most common drug treatments to reduce the pain caused by gout symptoms are:
- NSAID drugs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually recommended as first-line treatment for gout. The action of these drugs reduces pain and inflammation during an attack.
- Colchicine drug
If you cannot take NSAIDs, or if these drugs are ineffective, you can use colchicine instead.
- Allopurinol
- Febuxostat
- Uricosuric drugs
In addition to drug treatments, experts believe that gout can be treated with regular exercise and efforts to reduce pressure on the affected joints and healthy diets, while in acute and severe cases of gout pain, joint replacement surgery will be the only treatment option.
Lifestyle and gout attacks
You can reduce your risk of gout attacks by making lifestyle changes to lower uric acid levels. These changes include:
Avoiding foods with high levels of purines, such as red meat, offal, fatty fish, seafood, and foods containing yeast extract, avoiding sugary drinks and snacks, as they are associated with an increased risk of gout.
- Maintain a healthy weight – follow a balanced diet. Do not restrict your diet or follow a high protein and low carbohydrate diet.
- Exercise regularly – try to do activities (like swimming) that do not put too much stress on your joints.
- Drink plenty of water – keep your body fully hydrated to reduce the risk of crystal formation in your joints.
- Reduce alcohol consumption – avoid beer and especially alcoholic beverages and alcohol consumption.
- Vitamin C intake: Research has shown that vitamin C may lower uric acid levels in people with gout. For this reason, your diet should contain a lot of fruits and vegetables.
Conclusion
Gout is a common form of arthritis that affects the joints and is usually accompanied by pain, swelling and stiffness in the joint area. An excessive increase in blood urate levels is the leading cause of gout. If the kidneys do not naturally excrete the excess urate, urate crystals form on the joints. To treat urate, drugs are usually prescribed to reduce inflammation and urate levels. People can reduce their risk of gout by avoiding foods high in purines, which the body converts to uric acid, staying hydrated, and avoiding alcohol. To diagnose and treat gout symptoms, visit an orthopedic specialist and do not start treatment arbitrarily.
Dr.sanaz bellucci
I am Sanaz Bellucci , a dentist. In this electronic magazine, I publish my collection of research and studies on various topics related to health and beauty that you may face with it.
You can also share your questions of interest with me so that I can give them complete and comprehensive answers. stay with me.
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