What is gout?
Whenever we eat food, the liquids and the solids that we consume are processed and metabolized, to allow the body to receive the nutrients that it needs. In the end, once the process of digestion is complete; the waste products are concentrated in uric acid to be thrown away from the body. The kidneys in our body, flush the uric acid by way of urine to the outside. Whenever, this uric acid is not flushed, it will concentrate in the joints and it will cause swelling, pain and inflammation in the joints, producing a form of arthritis. Thus as a short definition, gout is a type of arthritis that is caused by the concentration of the uric acid in the joints.
Gout is a very painful disease that can cause great discomfort to the person who has it. In general, having gout will create pain in the joint and you will not be able to move the joint that is affected. Any pressure on the joint will cause further pain and swelling. Gout usually attacks the big toes in our body. %75 of the people who have gout will first experience a major swelling and inflammation in their big toe. What happens is that the uric acid crystallizes and concentrates itself in the joints: mainly the big toe. Then the toe will start swelling and the skin along with the tissue over there will be inflamed and hot red. Of course, gout can affect any joints and not just the toes. Although inflammation of the toes is more common, gout can affect your elbows, knees, your hands, your wrist and also your ankles.
The worst part about gout is the fact that you will go to bed one night with no apparent discomfort and the next morning you will wake up with a case of major inflammation in one of your joints. Although, there is no known cure for gout, in most cases the gout will pass away on its own in few hours or in some cases few days. In fact almost all types of gout will pass away in 10 days, even if left untreated. However, in some people the condition may become chronic and thus gout attacks may repeat itself several times in a year. (Although it’s very rare to repeat itself more than once or twice a year).
The single cause of gout is not known, as some properties of this disease unfortunately still remain a mystery. However, gout is usually seen in males between the ages of 30 and 50. In fact the chances of gout striking a man instead of a woman are 9 to 1. Thus males who are in the risk group should make sure to check up on their uric acid levels yearly for proper prevention. |
