Where Does Gout Affect You – Some symptoms of gout, such as pain in the big toe, may be obvious. But other symptoms of gout can be more complicated.
In the past, gout was called the “disease of kings” because it was thought to be common among the rich and obese who could afford to eat and drink too much alcohol. While diet and obesity are still important factors in the risk of gout, social class or your bank account have nothing to do with the risk of developing gout, which is increasing. The incidence of gout more than doubled between the 1960s and 1990s; now nearly 4 percent of American adults have it.
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Where Does Gout Affect You
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes severe and sudden attacks of inflammation. Gout occurs when there is too much of a chemical called urate in your blood (called hyperuricemia). This causes uric acid crystals to form in your joints, causing gout pain. Your body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines, a natural substance found in your body and in some foods. Although food does not cause gout, certain foods and drinks can cause gout. People with gout may have a genetic predisposition along with other risk factors or conditions – such as kidney disease or diabetes – that cause acid build-up in the body.
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Although men are more likely to develop gout, women can develop gout, too—and the risk increases after menopause, says Joseph Huffstutter, MD, a rheumatologist with Arthritis Associates. in Hixson, Tennessee. In short, anyone can develop gout because your body doesn’t break down uric acid properly and has the ability to build up in the joints.
Gout is very treatable, but in order to manage it, you have to know you have it – and the symptoms of gout are not always obvious.
“In the field of rheumatology, gout is considered a great mimic because it can manifest itself in many different ways,” said Dr. Huffstutter. If you have symptoms of gout, talk to your doctor. You may need tests (aspiration and joint fluid tests) to determine if gout is the culprit.
This is a common characteristic of a gout attack, making it the most obvious gout symptom. “Some uric acid comes from food, but most of it is a result of normal metabolism,” explains Dr. Huffstutter. If you’ve reached a point where your body can no longer break down citric acid – perhaps because of kidney disease, diabetes, blood pressure medication, or just old age – citric acid then accumulate and form crystals. . These crystals often migrate to the toes, where your body treats them as foreign invaders. The result: severe pain, heat and redness. Dr. said. Huffstutter: “Even if the sheets touch [your toes], it’s really uncomfortable.
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Although uric acid crystals tend to form near the toes, they can form in any joint in the body. This means that severe, unexplained joint pain can be a sign of gout.
Some people develop pain in one joint (i.e. the left knee), but about 25 percent of gout patients have “polyarticular” symptoms – meaning they affect a joint. -they are more than one bone, says Dr. Huffstutter.
When gout affects multiple joints, it’s especially difficult to diagnose, he added, because gout can mimic other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Gout is twice as likely to occur at night (between midnight and 8 am) than during the day. This is due to various factors, including a decrease in body temperature and dehydration during the night, which can cause uric acid to accumulate more easily.
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If you wake up every morning with stiff and painful knees, you probably don’t have gout. Gout pain goes from zero to 60 in less than 24 hours. Some people go to sleep feeling fine, then wake up at night with excruciating pain.
Gout usually strikes as a sharp pain that disappears within a few days or weeks. Months or years can pass between the first drops. However, if gout is not treated, the swelling may begin to appear more frequently and become more severe and debilitating, affecting the joints at once. During the period between gout flare-ups, the patient usually has no symptoms and feels completely healthy. This pattern is more indicative of gout than other types of arthritis.
During a gout attack – whether you’ve never had gout or you’re in the middle of a chronic/relapsing gout attack – you may feel so tired that it reminds you that you have the flu. You may also have a fever and muscle aches.
These lumps of acid crystals are called tophi. Tophi are more common in people with chronic gout, so you may notice joint pain long before you develop it. If you have tophi, you should know that these are not permanent blemishes, says Dr. Huffstutter. With the right treatment, you can dissolve these crystals to make them disappear.
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If you have severe gout or have been living with gout for a while, you may develop kidney stones because too much citric acid can build up in the blood vessels and harden there. Kidney stones are more of a complication of gout than a symptom, but if you develop these problems as well, your doctor should check your uric acid levels to see if you may be suffering from gout. you have gout.
You should know, however, that testing the level of acidity in the blood is not enough to diagnose gout: “When there is an attack, the doctor should remove fluid from the affected joints and analyze it under microscope,” said Dr. Huffstutter. If it is gout, acid crystals will be seen.
Is a digital community for millions of arthritis patients worldwide seeking education, support, advocacy and patient-centered research. We represent patients through our popular social media channels, our website and our 50-state network, which includes nearly 1,500 trained patient volunteers, caregivers and health activists.
The Global Healthy Living Foundation receives a four-year CDC grant to increase awareness and education for Polymyalgia Rheumatica. there is a painful attack. What you may not know is that hidden damage can occur even when you are not in pain.
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According to a new study, published in Arthritis Care & Research, up to 44 percent of people with gout suffer from bone erosion.
The researchers, from Shanghai, performed scans on 980 gout patients. Study participants were more likely to have evidence of bone damage if they were older (on average, 55 years versus 47 ), lived with the disease longer (nine years versus five), and had more frequent attacks (nine versus four). within a year).
High blood pressure, high blood sugar and kidney disease are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis in gout patients. Those who had visible evidence of tophi – deposits of acid crystals around the joints – were also more likely to develop bone loss.
According to the authors, this is the first study of its size to assess the prevalence of bone erosions in gout patients. Although the pain of a gout attack subsides within a few days, these findings suggest that more people need to take long-term medications (such as allopurinol) to lower uric acid levels in order to reduce the number of gout attacks. the coming attack. . such as preventing or limiting bone loss.
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The authors concluded: “These results suggest that early diagnosis of gout, control of [uric acid] levels and reduction of local urate crystal deposition may be the most effective means of preventing gout.” bone density in gout patients.”
If you have gout, don’t ignore it. Talk to your doctor and discuss gout treatment options, including different types of medications as well as other diet and lifestyle changes.
Is a digital community for arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide seeking education, support, advocacy and patient-centered research. We advocate for patients through our popular social media channels, our website and our 50-state network, which includes nearly 1,500 trained patient volunteers, caregivers and health activists.
The Global Healthy Living Foundation receives a four-year CDC grant to increase awareness and education for Polymyalgia Rheumatica. CreakyStaff Read more. “rich” food, heavy on meat. The first documentation of gout comes from Egypt in 2,600 BC, describing arthritis in the big toe.
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Gout is characterized by repeated attacks of red, tender, hot and swollen joints, usually the ankles. However, any joint can be involved including the spine or rare occasions. The first attack can come on quickly, out of nowhere and usually lasts less than 12 hours. The patient will say that even the relationship
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