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 © 2007 Publications International, Ltd. The feet and knees are fair game for gout attacks. |
Gout, which occurs in about five percent of people with arthritis, results from the buildup of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is the result of the breakdown of waste substances, called purines, in the body. Usually it is dissolved in the blood, processed by the kidneys, and passed out of the body in the urine. But in some people there is an excess amount of uric acid, too much for the kidneys to eliminate quickly. When there is too much uric acid in the blood, it crystallizes and collects in the joint spaces, causing gout. Occasionally, these deposits become so large that they push against the skin in lumpy patches, called tophi, that can actually be seen.
A gout attack usually lasts five to ten days, and the most common area under siege is the big toe. In fact, 75 percent of people with gout will be affected in the big toe at some time. Gout in the big toe can become so painful that even a bedsheet draped over it will cause intolerable pain. Besides the big toe, gout may also develop in the ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows.
Who Gets Gout?
Though anyone can get gout, it's primarily a man's disease. Women have the good fortune of being more efficient in the way they excrete uric acid. And children rarely get it.
Other risk factors include:
- Middle age. Men in their 40s and 50s are at greatest risk.
- Family history of gout. Up to 18 percent of all people with gout have family members with gout.
- Overweight. Excessive eating steps up the production of uric acid.
- Eating too many foods with purines, such as organ meats (liver, kidney, brains, sweetbreads), sardines, anchovies, meat extracts, dried peas, lentils, and legumes.
- An enzyme defect that prevents the breakdown of uric acid.
- Heavy alcohol use.
- Exposure to environmental lead.
- Using certain medications, including diuretics, salicylates, and levodopa.
- Taking niacin, a vitamin that's also called nicotinic acid.
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Overeating, especially purine foods
- Having surgery
- Experiencing a sudden severe illness or trauma
- Going on a crash diet
- Injuring a joint
- Having chemotherapy
- Being under stress. The link isn't the stress itself, but the comfort eating or drinking that may accompany it.
To learn more about arthritis pain and how to cope with it, visit these links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
- Learn about natural cures from the kitchen to combat arthritis pain in Home Remedies for Arthritis.
- Keep away the aches and pains in your joints with some help from How to Prevent Arthritis Pain.
- Read How to Relieve Arthritis Pain to learn ways to ease arthritis aches one it's set in.
