Information About Gout - Signs and Symptoms

Gout is a very common type of arthritis characterized by sudden attacks of burning pain, reddening, swelling and warm/heat felt from the affected area. About 50% of gout cases affect the big toe, though it can also affects other joints like the ankle, this areas are a major concern since ankle or heel pain can be incapacitate and can affect the well being or a patients. Gout is a chronic condition and pain can anytime without prior warnings or signs. If not properly treated, this can damage joints, tendons and the surrounding tissues.

The cause of gout is due increased amounts of circulating uric acid in the blood. This blood uric acid overload or hyperurecimia, produces sharp pointy urate crystals that can deposit in the joints and can form into large lumps causing severe pain. The urate crystals can form in other organs as well especially in the kidneys and can lead to kidney stone formation or renal failure due to urate deposits in filtering tubules.

There are about 5 million Americans are affected by gout. Men are 9 times more prone to gout than women. Typically, gout in men starts in puberly. In women, it usually starts after menopause.

The risk factors involving gout formation are:

Obesity
Increase alcohol intake
Hypertension
Renal or kidney dysfunction
Increased intake of purine rich foods (anchovies, canned good, processed meats)
Certain medications: diuretics, anti-TB drugs, aspirin

The signs and symptoms of gouty arthritis involve the four classic signs of inflammation:

Color warmness or heat felt in the inflamed area
Dolor- pain and tenderness
Rubor redness
Tumor swelling

Fever is also a symptom in gouty arthritis that usually occurs on acute attacks.

High suspicion of gouty arthritis involves a history of joint pains especially in the toes. Oddly, gout pain always involve one joint at a time, as compared to multiple joint pains in other arthritic conditions. Finding urate crystals on joint fluids by needle aspiration is the mainstay for diagnosing gout.

Family Foot and Leg Center in Naples, FL offers holistic approaches on treating gouty arthritis involving the big toe or ankle. Contact Dr. Kevin Lam at (239) 430-3668 for more details.

GouTrol is a physician formulated supplement to help with the symptoms of gout.