Some Common Symptoms Of Gout
There are many symptoms of gout that can be a problem. Gout is actually a form of arthritis and will affect your joints. Most symptoms affect the joints and can include swelling, shiny redness and pain. As with arthritis gout is caused by inflammation and treating this inflammation is the main method to relieve any symptoms of gout. Interestingly the ball of the big toe is the most common place for gout to occur. However it also can affect the elbows, hands, knees, ankles and feet.
Men type to suffer from gout much more then women, especially men over the age of 40. Gout is due to an increase in uric acid caused in the blood. Gout may be an indication of kidney problems as the kidneys filter out uric acid from the blood for excretion. If left untreated gout may develop into some serious health issues and may affect other health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.
Gout can come about quickly, within 12 to 24 hours of raised uric acid levels in the blood. But it can take weeks to go away. Symptoms associated with gout include skin looking red or shiny, the joint feeling hot, swelling of the joint, tenderness in the joint and sever pain in the joint. Some other more minor symptoms include a slight fever, nausea and loss of appetite.
There are many medications used to treat gout. It is possible to use colchines that block the production of uric acid. You can use steroids to build up your muscle strength in the joint. Drinking a lot of water can dilute the uric acid in the blood. NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and over the counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen are recommended. Aspirin should be avoided at all cost as it produces more uric acid in the blood.
It should be noted that the best treatment is to prevent gout from occurring in the first place. There are medications available that can reduce the amount of uric acid produced or to increase the amount of uric acid excreted. You can also change your diet to avoid foods that are high in purines. When purines are broken down they form uric acid.
In order to properly diagnosis gout your doctor may need to perform certain tests including a full medical history, joint fluid test and blood test. The one test that can completely confirm gout is the joint fluid test. Though this will require some anesthesia and a long needle.
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