Author’s Bio: Ria Ellendula is an incoming college freshman who is passionate about public health and healthcare policy.

What is Gout?

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis defined by severe pain, redness, and tenderness in the joints.

What causes Gout?

Gout can be caused by hyperuricemia, which is a condition when there is an excess of uric acid in the body. Uric acid usually appears as the body breaks down purines and other foods you consume. However, when there is too much uric acid, it starts to crystallize and those urate crystals build up in our joints, fluids, and tissues.
Decreased excretion of uric acid: Usually, uric acid exits the body through the kidneys. When this process cannot occur as normal, it can affect your body’s ability to remove uric acid. This would primarily occur by damage to the kidney and kidney function. Lead poisoning, diuretics, and immunosuppressants can negatively impact your kidneys. Uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure can also limit kidney function.
Increased uric acid production: Although the source of increased uric acid production is regularly unidentifiable, it can be caused by specific conditions, such as lymphoma, leukemia, hemolytic anemia, psoriasis, etc. Uric acid production can also be accelerated by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hereditary factors, or obesity.

Therefore, gout can be caused by a decreased excretion of uric acid, increased production of uric acid, and a diet with high purine intake. Your susceptibility to gout can increase due to certain factors.

Studies show that men are more likely to develop gout compared to women.
The disease is more likely to manifest in older ages. With men, diagnosis typically occurs between 30 and 50 years of age. With women, it is likely to occur after menopause.
Medications like daily low-dose aspirin, thiazide diuretics, immunosuppressant drugs, levodopa, or niacin are also said to increase your risk of gout. The risk may be increased if you fit the above mentioned demographics.
Alcohol consumption and elevated lead exposure can also increase your risk. A 2014 study has proven that wine, beer, and liquor consumption can lead to repeated gout attacks. High levels of lead have also been correlated to gout.

What causes Gout in the foot?

The foot is the most common host for an acute gout attack. Joints that can be affected include the big toe, the foot’s instep, the heel and the ankle. It is less likely to affect other regions of the body.However, it can occur in the knees, elbows, wrist, and fingers. Gout in the foot comes about due to a buildup of urate crystals in those areas.

Gout Symptoms

Gout flare-ups can occur spontaneously and vary in duration (days to weeks). Although they can occur for a range of time, they are accompanied by long periods of dormancy (weeks to years) before the next flare-up. Some people can exhibit all the symptoms, and others may have an asymptomatic gout, in which no symptoms are present despite high uric acid content.

Symptoms include:

Intense pain
Swelling in join region
Warm joint
Hard lumps (tophi) developing in surrounding skin and tissue
Redness

Gout Treatment

How to treat Gout?

It is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment if you are exhibiting symptoms of gout. Otherwise, it can become a chronic condition and leave permanent damage. Treatments are designed to to reduce inflammation or decrease uric acid levels. Studies have identified some natural remedies that can lower uric acid content. Consult a doctor before trying any of the remedies. These home remedies include:

Tart cherries
Magnesium
- If you are seeking a magnesium-rich approach, you can try an epsom salt bath They are known to prevent gout attacks. To create an epsom salt bath, mix 1 to 2 cups of epsom salt into your bath.
Ginger
- You can make a ginger compress by boiling water with 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger root and soaking a cloth in the mixture. After the cloth cools down, you can apply it to the affected region once a day for at least 15 minutes.
- You can also boil water and put 2 teaspoons of ginger in it. You can drink 3 cups per day of this remedy.
Apple Cider Vinegar
- You can enjoy apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or turmeric with warm water. Although no strong research supports this as a preventative gout measure, this helps lower uric acid and support kidney health.
Celery
Nettle Tea
Dandelion
Milk Thistle seeds

Gout Diet

Many factors of your diet can increase risk for gout, but this also means that your diet can be easily adjusted to prevent future gout attacks. Foods that can trigger gout are usually high in purine content. Foods to avoid include:

Red meat (pork or veal)
Organ meats, such as liver, kidneys, or any glandular meat
Oily fish and seafood (especially shellfish like shrimp, lobster, mussels, sardines, etc.)
High-fructose foods such as sodas, fruit juices, cereals, ice cream, candy, and fast food
Alcohol (avoid any type of liquor, wine, beer, etc.)

Foods to eat include:

Low-fat and nondairy fat products (yogurt, skim milk, etc.)
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Eggs (with moderation)
High-carb foods like potatoes, rice, bread, pasta
Nuts, peanut butter, and other grains

Other than foods, drinks can also heavily influence the occurrence of gout. It is recommended that you drink a lot of fluids (8-16 cups), and most of this should be water. Vitamin C rich drinks can also help (orange juice with low-fructose content would be ideal). Caffeinated coffee in moderation also helps regulate uric acid levels.

Gout Medication

Drugs to reduce gout pain include:

NSAIDS (like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.)
Colchicine
Corticosteroids

Drugs that prevent gout attacks:

Xanthine Oxidase inhibitors (Lopurin, Zyloprim, and Febuxostat)
Probenecid

Online Doctor Consultation For Gout

If you or someone in your family have concerns about gout, please contact and seek help from our doctors online. At Home Urgent Care provides telehealth services so you can safely and confidently keep your health in check with our primary and urgent care services and get treatment online. Book an online doctor appointment today with our health care experts available at your convenience 365 days a year and get your prescription/medication available online.

What is Gout?

Gout Symptoms

Gout Treatment

Online Doctor Consultation For Gout

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