Causes Of Gout

Basics

It is very important to recognize the causes of gout. Many of the factors that cause gout are avoidable. For example, certain foods, lack of exercise, and being overweight are all preventable factors that can lead to gout. Before going over the causes of gout in more detail, lets first go over what is gout.



What is gout

Gout is a type of arthritis. Gout is caused by the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints and surrounding tissues of the body. Uric acid crystals can cause extreme pain and swelling. The most commonly affected joint is the big toe, but gout can affect any joint in the body.

The symptoms of gout usually come out of nowhere, and are severe and sudden. In addition to the pain and swelling, the affected joint can feel warm, and the skin around it can turn red. Some people also suffer fever and chills.

In some cases the pain from gout is so severe even having a sheet covering the big toe is enough to cause excruciating pain.

Causes of gout

Uric acid is in everyone's bloodstream. Having excess uric acid in the body is called hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia is not a disease, but it does lead to gout in some people. Hyperuricemia is caused either by the body overproducing uric acid, or by the kidneys inability to properly eliminate uric acid. The causes of gout include:

  • Consumption of foods that are high in purines. Purines are the substances in foods that the body breaks down into uric acid. Foods high in purines include anchovies, sardines, gravies, shellfish, red meat, liver, beans, and mushrooms.
  • Being overweight - excessive weight increases the likelihood of getting gout.
  • Excessive alcohol -- especially beer, wine and brandy. In addition, alcohol binges often trigger gout attacks.
  • High blood pressure -- can have many side effects including increased uric acid levels.
  • Drugs - certain drugs can cause increased uric acid levels.
Prevention

Now that we have gone over what is gout and the causes of gout, it is important to discuss prevention. As we said, many of the factors that lead to gout are preventable. A few lifestyle changes will often greatly reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms.

Gout prevention

  • Eat beneficial foods that are known to reduce uric acid. Examples include: fruits such as cherries, strawberries, and blueberries, leafy green vegetables like celery and cabbage, drink fruit juices, coffee and tea, eat foods with lots of vitamin C like potatoes and red cabbage, and consume low fat dairy products.
  • Drink at least 6-8 glasses a day of water. This helps the body to excrete uric acid.
  • Reduce your weight if you are overweight.
  • Get regular exercise. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
  • If you are on any medications, check with your doctor to see if they can lead to increased uric acid. Even non-prescription drugs like low dose aspirin can cause increased uric acid levels.
  • Seek treatment immediately. Delaying or avoiding treatment will cause the symptoms to worsen. Ignoring the symptoms can lead to joint deformity.
Treatment

When it comes to treatment, there are two choices of medications: Prescription drugs, and natural treatments.

There are several problems with prescription medications: they are not safe to use long-term, and they can have severe side effects. They are also very expensive, but the biggest problem is that most of them do not work very well.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs are often prescribed for gout. Their side effects include gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers, high blood pressure, skin rashes, etc. COX-2 inhibitor drugs can adversely affect the kidneys, increase bleeding, increase the chances of heart attacks, and cause hallucinations. Steroids are not safe to use long-term and can have even more severe side effects.

For these reasons, the treatment of choice for many people is natural or herbal medications. Natural treatments have no side effects, are safe to use long-term, and for many people are the most effective treatment. The problem is knowing which natural treatment works best.

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 If you have any additional questions about what is gout or the causes of gout, please contact us. If you have gout and would like to share your experiences with our readers, please let us know.



More than the causes of gout on our natural remedies for gout page


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