Got gout?  Ouch.  You want to get it out.

Gout is a type of arthritis that often starts in a big toe and sometimes affects other joints, such as the ankles, knees, and wrists.  It causes sudden flare-ups of extreme pain, plus “bumps” around the joints.

Symptoms of acute gouty attacks:

• Pain develops suddenly and usually involve only one or a few joints. The big toe, knee, or ankle joints are most often affected.
• The pain frequently starts during the night and is often described as throbbing, crushing, or excruciating.
• The joint appears warm and red. It is usually very tender (it hurts to lay a sheet or blanket over it).
• There may be a fever.
• The attack may go away in several days, but may return from time to time. Additional attacks usually last longer.

Treatments for a sudden attack or flare-up of gout:

• Doctors typically recommend that you take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or indomethacin as soon as your symptoms begin. You will need to take prescription-strength medicines for 4 – 10 days.
• Your doctor may occasionally prescribe strong painkillers such as codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone if your gout is causing extreme pain.
• A prescription medicine called colchicine helps reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation.
• Corticosteroids can also be very effective. Your doctor may inject the inflamed joint with steroids to relieve the pain.
• The pain often goes away within 12 hours of starting treatment, and is completely relieved in 48 hours.

What causes gout?

According to medical experts, the exact cause is unknown. Gout may run in families. It is more common in males, postmenopausal women, and people who drink alcohol. People who take certain medicines, such as hydrochlorothiazide and other water pills, may have higher levels of uric acid in the blood.

The immediate cause is excess blood levels of uric acid, which form crystals that stab the cartilage, tendons and surrounding tissues, setting up an inflammatory reaction.  (Arthritis Research & Therapy) However, not everyone with high uric acid levels in the blood has gout.

Uric acid in turn comes from the breakdown of purines (Wikipedia definition), which are compounds found in most foods, the richest sources being meat, seafood and alcohol.  When purines are metabolized, blood uric acid levels rise unless the kidneys eliminate the excess in your urine.  If there’s too much uric acid produced, or too little removed, crystals start forming.

Most of the uric acid in your bloodstream comes from your own body, which is chock-full of purine-rich tissues.  So, cutting out meat isn’t the solution.  What you need is stress reduction and liver cleansing.

Resource Center:

• Google Health
• Mayo Clinic
• Medline Plus
• WebMD

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