Everything you Need to Know About Gout

Gout is a painful conditions causing swollen, red, and stiff joints. It occurs when uric acid builds up in the body, forming needle-like crystals.

Symptoms

When you have gout, urate crystals can build up in your joints for years. When there are a lot of crystals, some can spill out from the cartilage into the space between the two bones in a joint. These hard, sharp crystals can cause a lot of pain when they rub against the soft lining of the joint. An attack of gout usually happens suddenly, often overnight.

Risk Factors

• Family history – Your risk of developing gout increases when several of family members have the condition.
• Being overweight – The more overweight a person is, the more urate the body produces.
• Diet – Eating too much purine-rich foods increases the risk of gout.
• Gender and Age – Gout is around 4x more common in men. Post-menopausal women are also at higher risk. Gout can occur at any age, but the risk is greater as you get older.
• Alcohol – Alcoholic beverages, especially beer, can also increase the risk of gout.

Diagnosis

There are various tests to help diagnose gout such as x-rays, blood tests, joint fluid test, ultrasound, and dual energy CT scan

Complications of Gout

Chronic gout can cause tophi or tiny white lumps to appear under the skin, most particularly on the fingers, elbows, or ears. Tophi can also grow within the joints and can cause damage to bone and cartilage.

Treatment

The treatment of gout usually involves taking medications. These drugs can be used to treat acute attacks of gout and to prevent future gout attacks. The medications used include NSAIDs, colchicine, corticosteroid injections or tablets, allopurinol, etc. Other medications are also prescribed to reduce the risk of gout complications.

As a Foot and Ankle Surgeon, it is a pleasure that we can usually do  joint injection to help with the pain almost immediately.   Some people have been suffering undiagnosed for months and years with this crippling disease.    Bloodwork for Uric Acid is not currently part of a wellness checks, only when clinically suspected or someone has a history of such, perhaps this should be changed.

Best Foods for a Gout Diet

1. Fresh fruits – cherries were found to prevent gout attacks
2. Vegetables such as mushrooms, eggplants, mushrooms, and dark, leafy vegetables
3. Plant-based oils inclucing coconut, olive, flax, and canola oil
4. Meats such as chicken and fish, around 5 ounces per day only
5. Nondairy products such as skim milk and yogurt
6. Pasta, bread, brown rice, and potatoes
7. Legumes including beans, soybeans, and tofu
8. All nuts and seeds, as well as peanut butter
9. Whole grains including oats and barley
10. Eggs, in moderation
11. Foods rich in vitamin C such as oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, grapefuit, pineapples, and avocados.
12. Coffee, tea, and green tea

Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. This helps flush out uric acid from your system.

Foods to limit and avoid

1. High-fat foods
2. Red meat
3. Organ meats such as liver and kidneys
4. Glandular meats like pancreas and thymus, often called sweetbreads
5. Shellfish such as shrimp, mussels, and lobster
6. Seafood like sardines and anchovies
7. Alcohol – beer is high in purines and can raise uric acid levels. Alcohol also causes dehydration, which hampers the body’s ability to flush out uric acid.
8. Sweetened drinks including fruit juices and sodas. Fructose in these beverages puts you at risk for gout.

Lifestyle remedies and alternative options

Aside from medications, lifestyle changes are also helpful. Regular exercise and keeping an ideal body weight can reduce risk of gout. Limit intake of high-purine foods such as organ meats, red meat, and seafood. Limit the intake of sweetened fruit drinks and alcoholic beverages.

Certain foods have been proven to lower uric acid levels. These include  apple cider vinegar, garlic, vitamin C, and cherries. Apple cider vinegar may help you lose weight and reduce inflammation, which reduces the amount of blood uric acid. Garlic is said to be an incredible cure for gout. Vitamin C has a uricosuric effect that may reduce the serum concentration of uric acid.  Likewise, alfalfa works by neutralizing uric acid levels in the body as well as having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Cherries treat gout flare-ups by reducing uric acid levels in the body. A study has shown that consuming cherry extract was associated with 45% lower risk.

Recently, managing gout with natural gout remedies is becoming increasingly popular as an adjunct treatment or even as an alternative way to manage gout symptoms.

GoutRol gout supplement has all these ingredients in a capsule form. It contains a proprietary blend of vitamin C, wild cherry, alfalfa, garlic, and apple cider vinegar. Physician-formulated, LamLabs GouTrol is an all-natural supplement to help with symptoms of gout in a simple pill form.

Serving Southwest Florida Since 2005, Family Foot & Leg Center has 9 convenient locations throughout Collier, Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota Counties. Offering pediatric to geriatric family care: Ingrown Toenails, Heel Pain, Bunions, Foot / Ankle Arthritis Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Foot / Ankle Surgery, Custom Orthotics, and Diabetic Wound Care. In office X-rays, ultrasounds, and minor surgical suite exam rooms. Practice powered by EMR and advanced technologies. Home of the Lam Minimal Invasive No-Scar Bunion Surgery! Come Discover Why Patients Love Our 5-Star Foot & Ankle Care! Same Day Appointments! Easy Online Appointment Scheduling!