Gout Mayoclinic

• Gout occurs when urate crystals accumulate in your joint, causing the inflammation and intense pain of a gout attack. Urate crystals can form when you have high levels of uric acid in your blood.

• Your body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines — substances that are found naturally in your body, as well as in certain foods, such as steak, organ meats and seafood. Other foods also promote higher levels of uric acid, such as alcoholic beverages, especially beer, and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose).

• Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine. But sometimes your body either produces too much uric acid or your kidneys excrete too little uric acid. When this happens, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like urate crystals in a joint or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling

Gout Symptoms

• Intense joint pain. Gout usually affects the large joint of your big toe, but it can occur in your feet, ankles, knees, hands and wrists. The pain is likely to be most severe within the first four to 12 hours after it begins.

• Lingering discomfort. After the most severe pain subsides, some joint discomfort may last from a few days to a few weeks. Later attacks are likely to last longer and affect more joints.

• Inflammation and redness. The affected joint or joints become swollen, tender, warm and red.

• Limited range of motion. Decreased joint mobility may occur as gout progresses

Gout Risk Factors

• Diet. Eating a diet that's high in meat and seafood and high in beverages sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose) promotes higher levels of uric acid, which increases your risk of gout. Alcohol consumption, especially of beer, also increases the risk of gout.

• Obesity. If you are overweight, your body produces more uric acid and your kidneys have a more difficult time eliminating uric acid, which greatly increases your risk of gout.

• Medical conditions. Certain diseases and conditions make it more likely that you'll develop gout. These include untreated high blood pressure and chronic conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart and kidney diseases.

• Certain medications. The use of thiazide diuretics — commonly used to treat hypertension — and low-dose aspirin also can increase uric acid levels. So can the use of anti-rejection drugs prescribed for people who have undergone an organ transplant.

• Family history of gout. If other members of your family have had gout, you're more likely to develop the disease.

• Age and sex. Gout occurs more often in men, primarily because women tend to have lower uric acid levels. After menopause, however, women's uric acid levels approach those of men. Men also are more likely to develop gout earlier — usually between the ages of 30 and 50 — whereas women generally develop signs and symptoms after menopause.

• Recent surgery or trauma. Experiencing recent surgery or trauma has been associated with an increased risk of developing gout.

Complications

• Recurrent gout. Some people may never experience gout signs and symptoms again. But others may experience gout several times each year. Medications may help prevent gout attacks in people with recurrent gout. If left untreated, gout can cause erosion and destruction of a joint.

• Advanced gout. Untreated gout may cause deposits of urate crystals to form under the skin in nodules called tophi (TOE-fie). Tophi can develop in several areas such as your fingers, hands, feet, elbows or Achilles tendons along the backs of your ankles. Tophi usually aren't painful, but they can become swollen and tender during gout attacks.

• Kidney stones. Urate crystals may collect in the urinary tract of people with gout, causing kidney stones. Medications can help reduce the risk of kidney stones.

Gout Diet

• Uric acid is produced when the body breaks down a chemical called purine. Purine occurs naturally in your body, but it's also found in certain foods.

• For many years, treatment for gout focused on eliminating all foods that had moderate to high amounts of purine

Diet Details

• Weight loss. Being overweight increases the risk of developing gout, and losing weight lowers the risk of gout. Research suggests that reducing the number of calories and losing weight — even without a purine-restricted diet — lowers uric acid levels and reduces the number of gout attacks. Losing weight also lessens the overall stress on joints.

• Complex carbs. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which provide complex carbohydrates. Avoid foods such as white bread, cakes, candy, sugar-sweetened beverages and products with high-fructose corn syrup.

• Water. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking water. An increase in water consumption has been linked to fewer gout attacks. Aim for eight to 16 glasses of fluids a day with at least half of that as water. A glass is 8 ounces (237 milliliters). Talk to your doctor about appropriate fluid intake goals for you.

• Fats. Cut back on saturated fats from red meats, fatty poultry and high-fat dairy products.

• Proteins. Limit daily proteins from lean meat, fish and poultry to 4 to 6 ounces (113 to 170 grams). Add protein to your diet with low-fat or fat-free dairy products, such as low-fat yogurt or skim milk, which are associated with reduced uric acid levels.

Exercise for Gout?

• Exercise can absolutely help you keep your gout in check and promote faster healing. The right exercises can reduce pain and increase your energy as well as keep you in shape by maintaining a healthy body weight and building healthy bones, joints, and muscles.

• The right kind of regular exercise can help reverse the effects of gout. It will also build more muscle, increase bone density and boost your overall level of fitness. With regular exercise, you will feel stronger and have more energy.

• LOW-IMPACT CARDIO/AEROBIC EXERCISES. Cardiovascular exercise will help improve lung function and increase your body’s ability to use oxygen to metabolize acid in the body. In addition, most aerobic exercises will strengthen the lower body muscles.

• Swimming. There is a reason they call swimming the fountain of youth. Swimming and water aerobics is a fantastic way to increase mobility and functioning of the joints without the full impact of gravity. When you’re moving in water, there is less stress on your joints

Sanouri >>