Different Kinds of Gout Causes


Defined Tag: Gout Causes.

Gout is the chronic inflammation of the joints due to a range of potential causes. It is the result of excessive uric acid forming crystals in the joints. These crystals deposit will usually lead to inflammatory arthritis which will cause heat, pain, redness, stiffness, and swelling in the joints. It is a painful rheumatic disease and is definitely not the most enviable medical condition that will top anyone’s lists of medical problems to have. When one is tortured by Gout, the inflammation is more often than not painful and the pain experienced can be in a very sharp, stinging manner. At times, the pain can even last a very long period of time but there are instants where it will go away after awhile. It is rare in children and young adults and is more common in male than female. It affects about more 800 out of every 100,000 individuals.

The painful symptoms of gout are caused by the high concentration of uric acid in the blood. In a healthy and normal person, the body will remove excessive uric acid by flushing it out through the urinal system. However for people with gout, the uric acid are stored in the blood, which ends up setting in the joints. This uric acid, which settles in the joints, will form crystals and finally lead to attacks of gout.

Studies conducted have shown that men between the ages of 40 to 50 years old are more prone to getting gout as compared to women. Even though the causes and treatment of gouts are clearly known, the phenomenon found in the studies is still unknown.

Having a better understanding of gout will enable patients to better treat the illness. Since gout is resulted from the amount of uric acid in the body, by reducing the amount of uric acid in the body will definitely be essential in the treating of gout. Drinking plenty of water will help the body flush out or dilute the uric acid in the body. Alcohol was also found to increase the uric acid levels thus it is advisable for gout patients to completely avoid consuming alcoholic beverages. There are certain food items found to raise uric acid levels after it is digested. High purine food such as shrimp, sardines, dried beans, and mushrooms are good examples of such food items. Thus it is recommended for gout patients to completely avoid such food and look for alternative food to replace the nutrients found in these foods.

Even though diet can be the main cause of gout, there are some doctors who believe that insulin resistance may also cause gout. There are also sayings that the cause of gout could be more complicated as it may be inherited or occur due to a complication of another disease. In actual fact, it is possible that gout is cause by heredity. There are cases where by patients who have a history of gout in their family may show evidence of an enzyme defect that interferes with the way the body breaks down purines which causes the raise in the uric acid level. From the medical recods, it was found that close to 20 percent of gout patients have a family history of gout.

Other causes of gout includes lead in the environment, having a purine rich diet and being overweight since people who are overweight tend to produce more uric acid because of the larger amount of tissue in their body. There are also certain medicines, which will result in side effects such as attacks of gout. This is especially true for patients with high blood pressure, as the medication used will usually result in the body producing more uric acid. Medications such as a low dosage of aspirin, some cancer fighting drugs, diuretics, niacin and cyclosporine may cause gout as well.

Gout could be cause by either one or a combination of the mentioned causes. In order to better treat gout, it is always essential to first consult your doctor. Taking careful note of your daily lifestyle and eating habits will definitely help your doctor better diagnose your condition and prescribe the most suitable treatment.