Did you Ever feel your big toe burning? Or do you notice your joints getting swollen and having redness ? This might be sign and symptoms of gout. Yes, you read it right. But don't panic! It is common, and a recent survey showed that about 53 million have gout. It is not hard to manage the gout condition. But how do you deal with it? If you're tired of your joints acting up, stay tuned because we've got solutions for you!
What is gout?
Gout is a
painful arthritis caused by the accumulation of excessive uric acid in crystal
form. People with gout suffer from gout attacks, which sometimes appear and
disappear with time. The treatment is symptomatic and diet modification.
Mostly,
gout attacks the big toe joints. But it can also attack some other joints, like
●
Knees
●
Feet
●
Ankles
●
Elbows
●
Hands
●
Wrists
Gout has recurring symptoms, and flare-ups of these symptoms occur. Sometimes, Healthcare providers advise lowering your uric acid level by changing your diet.
Gout symptoms
Gout
attacks are very painful and happen spontaneously. These signs and symptoms
could be one of them
●
Intense
pain
●
Redness
●
Stiffness
●
Swelling
●
Erythema
●
Tenderness
●
Hyperthermia
●
Flaring
up
Causes of Gout
When you
have an excessive amount of uric acid in your body, it starts accumulating due
to kidney failure or any other reason. The uric acid forms crystals and starts
clumping, leading to many signs and symptoms, such as pain, erythema, and
fever.
Gout risk factors
There is
no specific gender for getting gout. It can affect anybody, but people assigned
male at birth AMAB are prone more to develop gout( approx three times)
Females
have less chance of developing gout before menopause. After menopause, the
chances of developing gout increase.
People
having following medical problems can lead to gout
●
Obesity
●
Congestive
heart failure
●
Diabetes
●
Renal
issues
●
Hypertension
● Blood cancer
Food that causes gout
If someone
consumes a food with a high amount of uric acid, then he's more likely to get
gout.
Following are foods that are a source of high amounts of uric acid
Sugary drinks
Standard
table sugar is half fructose, which becomes uric acid after breakdown. Thud
food or drink with a high amount of sugar can lead to gout or trigger it.
·
High fructose corn syrup
This is a concentrated fructose. Processed foods
and snacks have a rich amount of high fructose corn syrup.
·
Alcohol
Alcohol
consumption affects our kidneys. It doesn't let kidneys excrete out uric acid.
Thus, alcohol leads to the accumulation of uric acid and gout
·
Organ meats
These
meats include liver, sweetbreads, tripe, brains, and kidneys.
·
Game meats
Specialties
like goose, veal, and venison have high levels of purine, leading to gout.
·
Red meat
These
include beef, lamb, pork, bacon etc
·
Turkey
Specially
including processed deli turkey
Treatment of gout
Gout
treatment is symptomatic, including reducing a flare-up and diet modification,
e.g., eating food low in purine and uric acid.
Gout medication
Some
medications can help you get relief from gout issues like swelling, redness and tenderness
●
NSAIDs
NSAIDs,
such as ibuprofen and naproxen, are pain-relieving medicines. They are
anti-inflammatory, so they reduce swelling
and pain. However, people having cardiovascular,
renal, and stomach issues should avoid this medical.
●
Colchicine
Colchicine
is a good medication for relieving pain during gout attack if taken within 24
hours.
●
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids
decrease inflammation. Corticosteroids are available in oral, IV, and IM forms.
Doctors suggest taking food low in containing purine. These foods will avoid
the accumulation of uric acid in your body. Thus, you will not become a patient
of gout.
Managing a gout flare
Here are
tips to manage gout
●
Low urine diet
Yes, you
can prevent gout. All you have to do is follow a low-purine diet and drink a
lot of fluid and water to regulate the functioning of your kidneys.
●
Do exercises
With
proper exercise, you can reduce the pressure and stress on your joints and
reduce obesity, which is one of the causes of gout
●
Ice compression therapy
Ice
compressors can also relieve you from gout symptoms. Use an ice pack or another
cold object in a towel for approximately 20 minutes
●
keep yourself hydrated
During
gout, you feel swelling and inflammation. Drinking plenty of water can relieve
these symptoms. When you start taking a lot of fluids and water, your kidneys
regulate their function. Thus, your kidneys excrete uric acid when you drink
fluids.
The best
choice is water, but other fluids can also help, such as broths and herbal
teas. But don't take alcohol or sodas. They are packed with purines. If you
have any other medical problems, consult your doctor.
●
Reduce your stress
Stress can
flare up your symptoms. You can do the following activities to reduce your
stress.
●
Exercise
●
Break
from work
●
Book
reading
●
Journaling
●
Meditation
●
Take prescribed medicine
You can
get gout by taking some over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen and naproxen
sodium.
But don't
exceed the recommended dose; you must consult your doctor before taking them.
●
Call your doctor
Immediately
call your doctor if you find no relief with the prescribed medication. They
will change the medication.
●
Getting a cane
You can
reduce the flare-up if you start waking with the help of a cane to reduce the
pressure on your joints.
●
Drink Coffee
Coffee is
so good for relieving gout. According to a 2016 review and meta-analysis,
people who consumed coffee were less prone to gout. The coffee can lower the
uric acid levels.
Therefore,
one must consume coffee to remain healthy and prevent gout.
●
Take lemon water
A survey
proved that adding the juice of two freshly squeezed lemons to two liters of
water has avoided the accumulation of uric acid. This drink detoxifies and
excretes all the purines and uric acid.
More
studies have proved that lemon neutralizes the uric acid in the body.
●
Avoid alcohol
A study in
2021 showed that alcohol consumption can lead to gout. Beer contains a lot of
purines, so you should avoid alcohol to prevent gout from developing.
Conclusion
Gout is a
common illness that causes severe pain that is still treatable. There are easy
ways to get rid of it like quitting alcohol, drinking lemon water, Drinking
coffee etc.