Gout sucks!
If you’ve had gout, you know the pain. If you haven’t had gout, you’re lucky. Here are some tips to help try and avoid experiencing it for the first time, or experiencing a recurrence.
Gout is common. More than 8 million Americans (about 1 in 50) suffer from this form of arthritis. It can affect anyone, but is most common in middle aged men. Gout is caused by excess uric acid in your blood, from the breakdown of purines. Purines are produced naturally in your body and are also found in certain foods and beverages, which is why following diet guidelines can help reduce gout attacks. Extra uric acid usually gets filtered by the kidneys and excreted. If too much is produced or not enough is excreted, sharp urate crystals can build up in the joints and tissues, causing inflammation and pain.
Gout symptoms appear suddenly, often in the middle of the night, and are intense! It can feel like the affected area is on fire. Upon inspection the joint is red and swollen, feels warm, and is very tender. Even the weight of a sheet covering the area may be intolerable. Using the joint can be excruciating. While symptoms come on quickly, it can take a while for complete relief. The more severe pain can last days to weeks, but it may take several more weeks for any discomfort to completely subside.
The initial attack of gout often affects the big toe, but can appear in any joint. Often times with subsequent attacks other joints are affected such as ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, thumbs, or fingers. The good thing is that gout usually only affects one joint at a time. If you are lucky, and diligent in making some changes, it’s possible only to experience gout once. For most people however, another flare-up awaits.
When gout strikes it is important to get a medical professional involved. There are tests that can be performed to determine what is causing your symptoms. Gout can look like other conditions or other types of arthritis which require different treatments, so an accurate diagnosis is essential. Long term medical management may also be required if flare-ups become recurrent. If left untreated gout can become chronic and can lead to joint destruction and kidney stones when hard lumps of uric acid, or tophi, develop and are deposited in the skin, tissues, and joints.
If your symptoms become recurrent your provider will work with you to determine if a prescription medication to help lower the uric acid level in your blood, and hopefully reduce the number of flare-ups is warranted. For acute attacks NSAIDs are the best option to help reduce pain and inflammation. You can also use rest, ice, and elevation, to help combat the inflammatory response.
So what can you do to prevent gout? The first thing is to limit modifiable risk factors such as weight and diet. This means, maintaining a healthy weight and drinking/eating healthy. Drink water instead of sweetened beverages and limit or avoid alcohol. Eat plant based proteins instead of meats and seafood, or get protein from low fat dairy products. Eat complex carbohydrates such as whole-grains, vegetables, and fruits. Some studies have also shown that raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cherries may help lower uric acid levels. Unfortunately, other risk factors like family history, age, concurrent conditions, medications you may need to take, recent hospitalization/surgery/trauma, cannot be changed.
If you have further questions on gout or dietary guidelines, TEAM is here to help. Please reach out today.