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Gout, gout and arthritis are the names of one disease. Gout, once called "the disease of the rich", is as old as humanity, but medicine has yet to understand the underlying causes of the disease and there is no effective cure for it. Read about the causes and symptoms of gout and how it is treated.

What is gout?

Goutis a chronic disease caused by a metabolic disorder, the symptoms of which are severe pain and joint deformities.

In the advanced form of the disease, there is irreversible damage to the musculoskeletal system and disability , as well as the involvement of other organs (kidney damage, urolithiasis, formation of tophi in soft tissues).

Gout occurs in 1-2 percent people, mainly middle-aged and elderly men, in whom it is the most common form of arthritis.

Gout - symptoms

The disease usually develops over a dozen years without any ailments. It is only evidenced by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood serum, known as hyperuricemia. But we don't know about it, because nobody who feels good does their own research.

Gout symptoms:

  • sudden sharp pain in the joint , which occurs at night or early in the morning, increases in waves, is more and more severe day by day, and after a few days, sometimes even weeks , it becomes excruciating
  • the affected joint is sensitive to touch, swollen and red, the skin over it taut, shiny, red or purple-purple

If we do not start treatment after the first attack and do not change the eating style, urate crystals will start to accumulate not only in the joints, but also in the soft tissues of the heels, toes, ears and in the synovial bursae of various joints. tophi (the ones on the edges of the ears are called tophi).

Dna most often affects the big toe joint. And then it is called gout. But acid crystals can also build up in other joints: in the knees (gonagra), elbow, wrist or shoulder joint (chiragra), and in the spine (rachidagra).

Gout - photos

What do the hands, elbows and feet of a person with gout look like?The symptoms of gout are presented in the pictures:

See the gallery of 5 photos

What causes gout?

The cause of joint pain and distortion in gout is excess uric acid.

Uric acid comes from purines, which come from the diet and the breakdown of dying tissues. Only a certain amount of it (like sugar in tea) can dissolve in your blood.

When there is too much acid, it starts to crystallize . Crystals called urates build up and grow in the joints and periarticular tissue. White blood cells try to absorb and neutralize them, but this usually fails.Soaked, razor-sharp, they injure tissue and cause inflammation.

There are two types of gout:

  • primary goutis an inherited disorder of metabolism - the body, for unknown reasons, produces large amounts of uric acid and has trouble excreting it;
  • secondary gout(about 10% of cases) occurs as a result of leukemia, radiation, chronic kidney disease, overeating or poorly performed slimming treatment or starvation, alcohol abuse and taking certain dehydrating drugs and even vitamins B1 and B12. It can also be associated with type II diabetes, lipid metabolism disorders (i.e. increased blood fat levels), arterial hypertension, overweight and abdominal obesity.
The expert advisesKrystyna Knypl, MD, PhD, internist

What symptoms indicate gout? The expert explains

My big toe is swollen for no reason whatsoever. The surgeon's first question was how long I "drank" and how much did I drink recently - it upset me a lot, because in the last 10 years I drank about 1 liter of cognac. They say it is an alcoholism and overeating disease, and I don't overeat too. Apparently there is too much uric acid in the blood, although I haven't done any research yet. The pains are repeated, I take Milurit once a day. I'm 49 years old and plans for the next hundred. Maybe this is the reason?

Dr. Krystyna Knypl, internist:These ailments show that you suffer from gout, also known as gout. This disease is associated with abnormal uric acid metabolism, the external symptom of which is attacks of arthritis. Often inflammation affects the joints of the big toe - there is pain, redness and swelling in the area of ​​the joint. The emergence of a new attack may be caused by an incorrect diet (spicy foods, strong coffee, tea, chocolate) or the consumption of alcohol. The correct procedure isfollowing a diet, avoiding alcohol consumption, regular use of medications prescribed by your doctor and carrying out blood uric acid tests. It is important to wear comfortable shoes, especially when your symptoms get worse. I think that you can think about implementing all your plans - please do not forget to take care of your he alth on a regular basis!

Gout in women and men

Men get the disease more than twenty times more often.It has a much more severe course if it starts before the age of 30. Usually, however, it manifests itself in them between the ages of 45 and 60.

In women, it occurs later, around the age of 65, because until the menopause they are protected by female sex hormones against the increase in blood uric acid levels.

Men not only do not have such natural hormonal protection, but also eat meat more often than women and do not avoid strong drinks and beer. Meanwhile,nutritional errors play a significant role in this disease.

Gout - study

A doctor who suspects a patient of gout will measure the uric acid concentration in the blood, as well as a 24-hour measurement of acid loss with urine. Since in some cases the test results may be normal despite the presence of characteristic symptoms, then for a clear diagnosis, microscopic examination of the synovial fluid should also be performed, which will confirm or exclude the presence of sodium urate crystals in it.

How is gout treated?

Arthritis is incurable , but we can avoid further attacks by taking regular gout medications that lower uric acid levels in the blood and accelerate its excretion. We should also follow a diet low in purines.

Purines are the basic building blocks of every animal and plant cell. Their task is to transmit genetic information. Animal products contain more purines. They are especially abundant in fatty meat, especially pork, and all fatty foods rich in protein. Uric acid in our blood is a natural breakdown product of purines. We also supply them to the body with food.

According to an expertKrystyna Knypl, MD, PhD, internist

Gout - how to relieve pain? The expert explains

Suddenly my right ankle is very swollen. I can not walk. It has been going on for about 5 days. The pain, that is, tearing, bothers me a lot. I think it's gout. How to treat it and what diet to follow?

Dr. Krystyna Knypl, internist:gout treatment includes reductionPain in the period of an acute attack and prevention of relapse. In the acute period, colchicine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used - the details of the procedure are determined by the doctor, so it is advisable to consult your family doctor. Prevention of relapse is achieved by using medications that lower uric acid levels in the blood and by diet. Drugs that lower uric acid levels, such as colchicine, are prescription, and their dosage is determined by a doctor. Diet is very important to prevent gout attacks. Patients should not consume alcohol (any type and any amount is harmful!), Spicy foods, offal, pork, chocolate, meat stocks, fatty foods.

Gout diet - what to eat?

What diet should be used for gout? What to eat and what to avoid? What products are banned for gout? The rules of the gout diet are clearly defined.

  • Lose weight wisely. A low-calorie diet (less than 1200 kcal per day), fasting, frequent fasting may aggravate the symptoms of the disease, because the lack of "fuel" in the body accelerates the secretion of uric acid.
  • Drink at least two liters of fluids every day (mineral water, unsweetened juices, weak tea) to help the kidneys flush out uric acid.
  • You can drink coffee, tea and cocoa because the purines in them are not broken down into uric acid.
  • With meals containing a lot of purines (such as e.g. pork), give up alcohol.
  • Eat more plant foods: vegetables (but not all vegetables), fresh fruit. Even those foods with a lot of purines (nuts, mushrooms) do not increase uric acid levels.
  • Cook soups only on vegetable stock as they are purine-free.
  • Eat a lot of cheese (even though they are fatter than cold meats) and cottage cheese.
  • For bread, instead of sausage, use cottage cheese spreads, butter with herbs, horseradish or tomato puree. If you can't do without cold cuts, ask the store for the thinnest slices possible. Do not exceed the daily portion of 10 grams of meat and cold meats in total.
  • Beef, veal, poultry, boil or stew in water, without fat and with lots of vegetables. Add chanterelle mushrooms to meat dishes, noodles or potatoes, as they contain almost no purines and enhance the taste of your food.
  • You can eat boiled potatoes, but they will be he althier if you bake them in foil and serve them with a variety of yoghurt or olive oil sauces.
  • Maintain a he althy body weight. Obesity is not only conducive to disease recurrence, but also to joint deformities.
  • If you are overweight, douse a sweetener (aspartame) to sweeten your drinks. Other sugar substitutes (fructose, sorbitol, xylitol) used in diabetic products are not recommended for gout.
  • Exercise regularly to keep your joints flexible and fully mobile. However, avoid overloading them.
  • Eat your last meal 3-4 hours before going to bed, because at night your body does not excrete uric acid so efficiently.

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Category:

Spine, bones, joints