Gout Pain Causes

Gout is a form of arthritis. Some people find gout pain intolerable. The patient usually has the sudden gout attack during the night but they can occur anytime. This condition affects men more than women but females tend to be more susceptible after they go through menopause

Gout can be a very painful medical condition that normally affects the big toe although it can also occur in other parts of the body such as the hands, wrists, knees and ankles. If you or someone you know has this condition, then you understand just how difficult it can be to deal with.

The cause of gout can be a little complicated. Uric acid is produced by the body by breaking down a substance called purines, which is found naturally in the body. This acid will normally dissolve while in the blood and pass out of the body through the kidneys. When a person has high levels of uric acid in the blood they begin to form what is called urate crystals. These crystals accumulate around the joints and cause pain and inflammation, referred to as a gout attack.

Gout Symptoms

Symptoms of gout include inflammation, redness, swelling, pain and tenderness.

Gout attacks usually come on quickly and will eventually go away temporarily. The intense pain can last up to 10 days and then it will begin to gradually taper off.

A Gout Diet?

There is no specific diet that can lower your risk but eating fewer foods that contain purines would help. Some of these include seafood, red meat and alcohol.

There is some recent research, however, that indicates some foods that are high in purines are not associated with an increased risk of gout. These food are

• spinach
• peas
• mushrooms
• cauliflower
• beans

Gout Treatments

The good news is that there are gout remedies available to help with the pain and discomfort of this condition. There are three main types of medications given for gout, and they are listed below.
 
1. Colchicine is very effective but the side effects can be rather unpleasant and include vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.

2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often used to help reduce the inflammation that this medical condition causes. These include drugs such as Advil, Aleve and Motrin. The side effects of these drugs include ulcers, bleeding and pain in the stomach. Many people can’t take medications containing ibuprofen. In these cases Colchicine is usually recommended.

3. Steroids are normally used in cases where the patient can’t take the other types of medications or if they don’t help control the pain. They are given by injections or pills and the side effects include thinning of the bones. Your body may not fight off infections as well and wounds may take longer to heal.

Gout Medications

If you begin experiences pain due to gout, then your health care physical may recommend medications that can help to prevent gout attacks. Allopurinol is a medication that can block the production of uric acid, which will lower your risk factor. The side effects of this drug are low blood counts and possibly a rash. Another drug called Probenecid can help to improve the way the kidneys remove the uric acid from the body. This will also help to lower your risk factor but the downside is that it can increase the levels in the kidneys and cause pain in the stomach, rashes and possibly kidney stones.