How to Know if You are Suffering from Gout
About two million people in the United States alone suffer from attacks of gout. Gout, sometimes known as metabolic arthritis, is an excruciating form of pain that affects areas of the cartilage in tendons, joints, and other tissues of the body. Gout attacks usually happen to men during the initial stages of puberty and women during their post-menstrual periods in life.
Gout develops when there are elevated levels of uric acid in the body and is sometimes referred to as hyperuricemia. The body normally produces uric acid; however, excess amounts of it cannot be filtered by the kidney. This can sometimes result in the buildup of uric crystals in the joints and can lead to gout attacks, formation of kidney stones, or kidney failure in extreme cases. Chronic gout attacks can also increase the development of tophus, which eventually causes tissue damage.
It is the purine in the food we eat that causes the development of uric acid. That is why a lot of people who suffer from this condition are taking in high doses of purine in their diet. Thus, the two ways to avoid gout attacks is to avoid foods that contain high levels of purine, and to speed up the filtration process of the kidney to eliminate the production and buildup of uric acid. That is why a lot of water intake can help the kidney function faster by letting us excrete this waste through urinating.
It is a known fact that gout is inherited, but other factors, such as poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, low intake of water, and excessive alcohol can eventually lead to the development of the condition. Those with a history of gout in their family should try to prevent cases of it occurring if they have not had attacks yet. By following a healthy diet and lifestyle, prevention is the best way to avoid any chances of it happening.
The most common place of an occurrence of gout is actually the big toe, although it can happen in any joint in the body, such as the fingers, elbows, knees, ankles, or feet. Pain usually sets in after the joints have swollen up and inflamed. Some people have reported having fever and chills. It is then followed by an intense throbbing that will most likely happen during the night or the colder times of the day because uric crystals tend to form at colder temperatures.
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