What is gout? Causes, symptoms and prevention

The accumulation of uric acid in the body increases the risk of gout, a form of arthritis caused by weak kidneys that cannot excrete uric acid from the body. Let’s learn about the causes, symptoms and prevention of this disease with Tnhelearning.edu.vn through the following article!

What is gout?

Gout, also known as gout, gout, occurs in the joints of the toes, fingers, and knees, with red swelling as well as making it difficult for the patient to walk due to pain.

Gout, also known as gout, occurs in the joints of the toes

This is a fairly common disease , 2 out of every 100 adults will have this disease, not only men will suffer as previously thought, but women can also get the disease, especially women. menopausal women, due to many different reasons such as lifestyle, diet, …

Causes of gout

Primary cause (idiopathic)

Normally, a stable uric acid level in men is 210-420 mmol/L and 150-350 mmol/L in women. High levels of uric acid in the blood cause the kidneys to not be able to excrete it all, leading to uric acid accumulating in the joints for many years and forming small, hard iron crystals, causing friction with the synovial membrane thereby causing swelling and pain. pain.

Accumulation of uric acid is the cause of gout

Uric acid often exists in foods such as seafood, meat in the form of purine, each food will have a different purine content. When consuming purines, the body will produce uric acid, the more you consume, the more likely uric acid will remain. For the most part, male patients over the age of 40 who often have unhealthy living and eating habits are very susceptible to gout.

Secondary cause

Due to the treatment of some other diseases also cause gout

High levels of uric acid in the blood, leading to gout, can also be caused by some other diseases such as polycythemia vera, myelodysplastic leukocytosis, gout, ganglion sarcoma, bone marrow pain, or the use of drugs during treatment. treat malignancies.

Symptoms of Gout

In the early stages, the patient will not have any symptoms, this case is called hyperuricemia. Over time, this concentration will accumulate into urate crystals, causing sudden, intense, dull joint pain, often appearing at night. Here are some symptoms of this disease.

Gout sufferers often experience severe pain in their toes

• Severe joint pain: Pain in the joints of the big toe, ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, etc. is less frequent but severe pain in the first 4 to 12 hours after onset .
• Dull, long-lasting pain: Pain is intermittent, patients will have dull pain for a few days or weeks and then gradually increase in frequency.
• Inflammation, redness: Manifestations in the joints are swollen, hot and red.
• Limited range of joint activity: Difficulty moving the joint or moving normally.

Subjects at risk of gout

Those who are at risk of gout will certainly be something that many people care about, but due to its prevalence and age, the likelihood of getting the disease is increasing, such as:

Subjects at risk of gout

• Men after 40 years old: This is the age group prone to gout due to an unhealthy lifestyle, alcohol abuse, stimulants, etc.
• Menopausal women: Estrogen hormone disruption causes kidney function to decline, combined with an unhealthy lifestyle, heavy use of alcohol, and beer will be more susceptible to disease.
• Genetics: Gout is linked to 5 genetics, people in the family with gout are more likely to have gout in their family members than the general population.
• Unhealthy lifestyle: Excessive alcohol consumption will make it difficult for the body to eliminate uric acid and a diet high in purines will increase the amount of uric acid in the body, easily causing gout.
• Are using drugs: Some drugs can increase uric acid levels in the body such as diuretics, drugs containing salicylate …
• Overweight, obesity: This is a condition that is more susceptible to gout because the body’s tissues rotate more to produce metabolic uric acid in the form of waste , higher fat levels also produce inflammatory cytokines.
• Other health problems: Reduced kidney function will affect the body’s elimination of waste, leading to high uric acid levels, putting the body at risk of gout or hypertension, diabetes. …

Methods to treat gout

Currently, there is no definitive treatment for gout, it can only be controlled by examining and using specialized drugs and a reasonable diet to reduce symptoms of the disease:

Currently, there is no cure for gout

• Medicines that reduce pain and inflammation such as colchicine or allopuriod drugs that inhibit the formation of uric acid in the blood; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; other pain relievers approved by your doctor.
• Follow a healthy diet, avoid foods high in purines such as seafood, animal organs, etc.
• Build a healthy lifestyle, lose weight, abstain from tobacco and alcohol, drink lots of water and alkalinize urine with sodium bicarbonate, as well as always keep an optimistic spirit, limit stress,…
• Drink plenty of water to help the body eliminate excess fluid from the kidneys, reduce swelling and inflammation by using cold compresses.
• If you have severe, prolonged arthritis, arthroscopic surgery is often indicated by removing the synovial lining of the joint . If the joint is completely damaged, surgery may be required to replace the joint with an artificial joint.

How to prevent gout?

The most effective way to prevent gout is to build a good lifestyle, if there is a history of gout in your family, you should pay attention to some of the following:

The most effective way to prevent gout is to build a good lifestyle

• Have a healthy diet, a reasonable diet, limit high-purine foods, limit beer, spirits, and carbonated drinks.
• Exercise and weight control help reduce uric acid levels and reduce stress on joints.
• Actively check health every 6 months for disease detection and early treatment.

Frequently asked questions about gout

Does gout go away? Is it possible to cure it completely?

Currently, there is no definitive cure for gout, only symptoms can be controlled and uric acid levels in the blood stable, avoiding further progression of the disease.

Patients can live a healthy life if they follow the right treatment regimen, combine a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Currently, there is no cure for gout, only the symptoms can be controlled

How are Gout and Tophi Beads related?

People with gout have Tophi particles around the upper part, the body is already very dangerous

Tophi granules appear when people have gout in the chronic stage , the shape of a lump, a yellow or white tumor around the joints of the fingers, toes, knees, … at this time, the uric acid content in the body is not controlled. controllable.

Therefore, it can be said that when a person with gout has Tophi granules around the upper body, even in joints, ligaments, in muscles and even in the kidneys, the body is already very dangerous and has a very high risk of disability.

Where does the disease usually cause pain?

Gout occurs suddenly, intensely, especially at night like 2 am

Usually, gout occurs suddenly, intensely, especially at night, around 2 am, there will be sharp pain in the big toe or heel, calf, ankle, accompanied by a feeling of chills. , shivering and low fever. The pain occurs in waves with increasing intensity, the pain is unbearable.

How long do people with gout live?

Gout patients still live well if treated correctly

The level of uric acid in the blood correlates with the condition of the person with gout, the patient has to live with the disease for many years, even about 10 years. The disease causes many difficulties, pain, even the risk of disability and death if not treated properly and have a reasonable lifestyle.

If the patient has a healthy lifestyle, is treated according to the regimen and instructions of the doctor, most patients must maintain taking the drug when Tophi seeds have not appeared and 6 months if Tophi seeds appear.

Above is information about gout as well as its causes and symptoms. Hope through the above article to help you understand this easy disease as well as create a healthy lifestyle to be able to prevent the disease effectively.

Source: Tam Anh Hospital

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