Environmental factors, such as diet, actually trigger the disease. Gout can often be successfully treated and managed. Your doctor may prescribe medications that help lower your uric acid levels and reduce inflammation and pain.
Your doctor or nutritionist can also recommend changes in your diet to help prevent flare-ups. Balanced eating and healthy lifestyle habits can help you successfully manage gout.
Here are common symptoms of gout along with where and when they typically appear, and what you can do to prevent them from occurring. Gout Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.
Gout treatments try to reduce the pain of individual gout attacks, and the frequency of attacks. Adjusting your diet is the most important way to…. Hyperuricemia happens if there's too much uric acid in your blood. It's tied to gout. Learn why it occurs, what the symptoms are, and how to treat it. Tomatoes may trigger gout. They increase levels of uric acid. We explore the effects of tomatoes if you have gout, alternatives to try, and other….
Gout crystals may form when there is too much uric acid in your bloodstream. Gout and turf toe can both cause similar symptoms, but have very different causes and treatments. Read on to learn more about these similarities and…. Avoiding foods high in purines may help you reduce uric acid levels and minimize your chances of developing gout.
What does that mean for hummus? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Gout: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Essential oils Is it hereditary? Takeaway Gout is a general term for a variety of conditions caused by a buildup of uric acid.
Symptoms of gout. Gout pictures. Gout home remedies. Treatment of gout. Gout surgery. Causes of gout. Foods to avoid. Gout diagnosis. Gout triggers. Gout prevention. Gout with tophus. Is gout painful? Gout essential oils. Is gout hereditary? Read this next. Read our guide to care and support if you:. Page last reviewed: 09 October Next review due: 09 October Non-urgent advice: See a GP if you have:. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call if: the pain is getting worse you also have a very high temperature you feel hot and shivery you also feel sick or cannot eat These symptoms could mean you have an infection inside your joint and need urgent medical help.
Do take any medicine you've been prescribed as soon as possible — it should start to work within 2 days rest and raise the limb keep the joint cool — apply an ice pack, or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel, for up to 20 minutes at a time drink lots of water unless a GP tells you not to try to keep bedclothes off the affected joint at night.
Important It's important to take uric acid-lowering medicine regularly, even when you no longer have symptoms. Do get to a healthy weight, but avoid crash diets — try the NHS weight loss plan eat a healthy, balanced diet — your doctor may give you a list of foods to include or limit have some alcohol-free days each week drink plenty of fluids to avoid getting dehydrated exercise regularly — but avoid intense exercise or putting lots of pressure on joints stop smoking ask a GP about vitamin C supplements.
Information: Social care and support guide Read our guide to care and support if you: need help with day-to-day living because of illness or disability care for someone regularly because they're ill, elderly or disabled including family members.
Video: gout This video explains how gout affects the body, and what treatments are available. Treatment of acute attacks:. The more promptly that effective treatment is commenced, the more quickly the attack can be controlled. The different types of medications used include:. Drinking extra fluid preferably water while taking these medications is recommended. The affected joint should also be rested and elevated.
Preventing future attacks:. Preventing attacks of gout is as important as treating the symptoms of an acute attack. Ways in which gout can be prevented include use of medications and lifestyle changes. Medications — the mainstay drug for people with gout is allopurinol, which acts to reduce uric acid production.
People who cannot take allopurinol because of side effects or other reasons may be prescribed alternative medications which either reduce uric acid production or increase the excretion of uric acid by the kidneys. In the initial stages of treatment with medications to prevent gout, attacks may occur more frequently and may be more severe.
For this reason, the dosage of the medications may be low to start with and is then gradually increased. These medications should only be discontinued on the advice of a doctor as stopping and starting them can also bring on a gout attack. Dietary modifications — changes in diet are aimed at restricting or avoiding foods high in purines. Purines are substances found in some foods and produce uric acid when broken down by the body. Foods high in purines include:.
Limiting alcohol intake — is also important. Alcohol causes the body to lose fluid by increasing urine output and drawing water from the blood , thus increasing the uric acid levels in the blood. Beer is rich in purines so should be avoided. Drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids — especially water eight to 10 glasses a day is recommended. This will help to flush the uric acid crystals out of the body. Soft drinks, fruit juice and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar fructose are best avoided as they can increase uric acid levels.
Maintaining a healthy body weight — will help to reduce stress on affected joints and decrease the likelihood of developing gout. If uric acid levels remain raised for long periods of time, or there are frequent recurrent attacks of gout, deposits of uric acid salts may form around the affected joint and appear on the skin as chalky coloured nodules. These are called tophi and may also appear in other areas of the body such as the ears.
Recurrent severe attacks of gout and the development of tophi can cause permanent damage to the joints. Surgery may be required to restore joint function. This may involve joint replacement surgery.
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