Do you like to eat red meat, beer or red wine, excessive alcohol, rich sauces and seafood, as well as anchovies, herrings, asparagus, and/or other mushrooms? Gout attacks can occur if you are consuming red meat, beer, red wine, excessive amounts of alcohol, rich sauces and/or mushrooms. What is gout? Gout is a form arthritis that results in the formation of sharp, needle-shaped, urate crystals within the joint. These crystals cause inflammation and pain.
Uric Acid
Elevated blood uric acid levels are responsible for crystallization. These foods are high in purines. These purines are also naturally present in the body and are broken down into uric acid. Normal circumstances see uric acid being excreted through the urine and kidneys. Gout occurs when the body produces too many uric acids. This can happen if a person eats too many purines or the kidneys don’t properly excrete enough uric Acid.
How do you know if your gout is present? A typical presentation is someone who wakes up at night or early in the morning with a sudden appearance of a red, hot and swollen joint. This happens without any previous injury or trauma. Gout is most common in the big toe joint of the foot.
Did you Know?
Gout can also affect the ankle, knee, elbow and wrists. Initial gout attacks will show the joint as normal on a standard Xray. With frequent gout attacks, the joint will become more restricted in movement and have a bony prominence. An X-ray will show a damaged joint (arthritis). Who is at greatest risk? Gout attacks are more common in men than in women, but they can also be experienced by women who are post-menopausal.
Gout can also be caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes and increased cholesterol. Low-dose aspirin and diuretics can also increase uric acids levels. Gout attacks can also be caused by a diet high in purines, such as the foods mentioned above and excessive alcohol intake. Gout prevention involves limiting the intake of purine and limiting alcohol intake.
Treatment
How can it be treated? Call your doctor immediately if you feel the sudden appearance of a red, hot or swollen knee joint. Call your local podiatrist if you have an attack in your foot or ankle. If the attack is in other joints, you should consult your primary care doctor, orthopedist, or rheumatologist. If you don’t get treatment, you may develop tophi under your skin or kidney stones.