You might also consider minimising consumption of purine-rich foods, which include meat, seafood and yeast products, like Vegemite.īut as with any diet, sticking to a low-purine diet can be challenging. As with other metabolic diseases, losing weight helps. If you’ve had gout once and want to prevent it coming back, it’s worth thinking about lifestyle changes. If you suffer two or more attacks, management of chronic gout involves taking a urate-lowering therapy such as allopurinol or febuxostat.īeer is relatively purine-rich, but it’s a good idea to cut back on all types of alcohol. In one study, 70 per cent of people who had an attack of gout went on to have another within a year. Many people who have one gout attack will go on to have more. It’s easy to stop exercising, but swimming and cycling are two ways you can comfortably continue moving during a gout flare. Your doctor might prescribe colchicine, or you can get ibuprofen over the counter. If you think you have gout, you should see your doctor.Īnti-inflammatory drugs can ease gout attacks. You should ice and raise the affected joint and minimise contact with it - even a light bedsheet can cause excruciating pain.Īttacks of gout can last for days or weeks. It affects 0.2 per cent of Australian men in their 20s, increasing to 11 per cent over the age of 85. One reason for this is the female sex hormone oestrogen lowers urate levels, and is therefore protective against gout in pre-menopausal women.Īnd gout is more common the older you get.
Gout is also more common in males – almost 80 per cent of people with gout are male. For example, genetic differences can impair urate excretion, thereby increasing blood urate levels. Gout can run in families, with genetics playing a key role in determining urate levels. But what causes high levels of urate? While we don’t know exactly, several factors certainly contribute.Ī tangled web links urate, gout and other metabolic diseases, including type two diabetes and high blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock What causes gout?Ī high level of urate in the blood is the greatest risk factor for gout. Inflammation and debilitating pain follow. When urate crystals form in the fluid cushioning a joint, the body’s defence forces see them as foreign invaders. If your urate levels become too high, the urate turns into crystals. Urate levels reflect how much is made in the liver and how much is flushed out when you go to the toilet. Urate, or uric acid, is an end-product of the breakdown of biochemicals called purines, which are both components of your DNA and absorbed into the body through the foods you eat. While the big toe is particularly susceptible, gout can also affect the ankles, knees, elbows, wrists and fingers. It’s caused by sodium urate crystals forming in the joints. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. But living with gout has far-reaching implications, hampering a person’s ability to participate in everyday life. Often gout is seen as being self-inflicted, a mark of overindulgence. Almost one in 20 Australians have had at least one attack of gout.Īnd some stigma still clings to the condition. Today, no longer just a disease of kings, the prevalence of gout is increasing around the world. Scientific evidence today suggests this may have something to do with it, though the common belief drinking port specifically causes gout is unfounded. This moniker also reflects the fact gout has historically been associated with indulging in rich food and excessive alcohol.
0 kommentar(er)
