Gout is manifested primarily by severe pain in the joints, which is caused by excessive production of uric acid. When there is too much of this substance, it begins to crystallize. In our blood, only a certain amount of uric acid dissolves, and when its excess appears – crystals are deposited, remaining in the joints and periarticular tissue.
Urate thus causes inflammation as it cuts tissue and contributes to the formation of wounds. Gout is divided into two types:
- Secondary gout – occurs in 10% of cases, appears as a consequence of leukemia, overweight, lipid metabolism disorders, irradiation, fasting, chronic kidney disease, intake of rehydration drugs, hypertension, type II diabetes and alcohol abuse or excess of vitamins B1 and B12.
- Primary gout – it is hereditary, it consists in a metabolic disorder, as a result of which the human body produces too much uric acid (for unknown reasons) and cannot excrete it.
Factors that favor the formation of gout:
- Dehydration,
- Infection,
- Male sex (men are affected 7 times more often than women),
- Age – people over 30 are usually affected,
- Improper diet – too much consumption of products rich in purines, from which uric acid is produced – offal, meat, seafood,
- Excessive consumption of alcohol, mainly the strong one and beer. Wine doesn’t cause gout
- Some medications
- Severe illnesses, recent injury, surgery,
- Civilization diseases – obesity, overweight, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, lipid disorders, hypertension.
How to recognize gout?
The first sign of the disease is inflammation of a single joint, most often the base of the big toe joint. It can also be other joints: knees, feet, shoulders, finger joints and others. Then there is a very intense pain, usually starting at night. It gradually increases in intensity, can last up to several hours and often becomes unbearable.
The skin around the affected joint is red and hot, the epidermis peels off and swelling occurs. In addition to this symptom, chills, fever and a feeling of being broken down are also common.
If left untreated, the ailments pass gradually within a few days to a maximum of two weeks. Usually, the inflammation affects one joint, but it can spread to another. Following an attack, appropriate measures must be implemented to prevent further attacks from occurring.