Is Gout Really Just Arthritis?
Author: Paul Mahon
When your body has a build up of uric crystals around your joints you will experince pain, that pain is knows as Gout. The reason uric crystals build up is because you are either taking in to many for your your body to handle or you have something wrong with you medically that prevents your body breaking down foods high in purine correctly.
In the normal flow of life your body dissolves the uric acid that you intake via food and drink, your kidneys work to filter uric acids out of your body. Now if you have a kidney disease, have had one removed or maybe have had a kidney transplanted then you may well be suffering with gout as a side effect.
Abnormally high levels of uric acid will result in your body becoming unable to process it and that leads to Gout.The kidneys too can be overwhelmed by the amount of uric acid and they will then fail to cleanse the body adequately.
Heavy consumption of purine rich foods will also cause a build up of uric acid in the body. High level of uric acid in the blood is called hyperuricemia. Although hyperuricemia will not necessarily develop gout but it can lead to its development when the excessive levels of uric acid take a crystalised form.
Gout is generally found in men, The chances that you will deveop gout increase if you have family members afflicted with it. Obesity is a major contributor as well as an above average intake of alcohol. What you eat as well as how much you eat affects your chances of deveoping gout (as well as other illness).
Gout attacks have been known to start with sudden severe pain in a single joint. It is characterised by redness, swelling, and hotness in the area where the gout attack occurs. There are a few cases that gout develops in several joints resembling a rheumatoid arthritis like appearance. In most cases, gout attacks are confined to the big toe.
You are in charge of your gout, you can reduce the frequency and the severity of your gout attacks just by changing what you eat and drink. Keep a diary of what you eat and drink for 3 months and you will see that your attacks almost always follow a bout of eating or drinking either in excess or items that are high in purines.
If you ever ask What is gout then we can help you. Usually what you really need to know is whether you are suffering with gout or not. We can help you find out. goutassistance.com/what-is-gout
