What is gout disease?
Gout is a form of rheumatism. In gout accumulate uric acid crystals in the joints. This allows you to get a sudden attack of gout. When such an attack, you have a lot of pain in and around a joint. The joint is inflamed. It is thick, warm and red. Many people get the first attack of gout in the big toe.
Other symptoms of gout disease are:
- Kidney stones.
- Gout Lumps. These are, for example, lumps on elbows or fingers.
The first gout attack lasts a few days to a week. Thereafter, the gout stay away months or years. Without treatment, attacks become more frequent and last longer. Joints get damaged.
When you get gout medications. There are drugs to combat an attack (such as NSAIDs) and medication to prevent seizures. There are also medicines that lower the amount of uric acid.
Gout is most common in men, but women can also get the disease.
How do you get gout disease?
Causes of gout:
Gout at a joint is inflamed by uric acid crystals. The body produces uric acid in the digestive system. Normally puddle you just uric acid out. But gout coming uric acid crystals in a joint visit. This happens when too much uric acid in the blood is. Almost everyone with arthritis has much uric acid in the blood. The higher the uric acid content, the greater the chance that someone will get gout.
Hereditary factors play a role in the development of gout.
What are the signs and symptoms of gout?
When you have gout disease, swollen and inflamed joints. The skin to such a joint is tight and bright red. The joint can be so sensitive that even the weight of a bed sheet is too much.
Gout often begins in the big toe. Later, you can also get attacks in your ankle, knee, fingers, middle foot, wrist and elbow. Gout in the shoulder, hip and spine is uncommon.
People who have long gout attacks may experience gout nodules. These lumps are usually on the elbows, fingers, toes or on the outer edge of the ear. The nodules the skin breaking down. There is then a toothpaste-like liquid to the outside.
Some people with gout also have kidney stones.
How is gout diagnosed?
To find out if you have gout disease, the doctor will first ask about your symptoms. Then a physical examination.
- Blood tests. The doctor examines your blood. She looks or you much uric acid in your blood.
- Joint puncture. With a thin needle, the doctor takes fluid from the inflamed joint. It examines this fluid under a microscope. Does the doctor uric acid crystals in the liquid? Then you have a gout attack.
What is the treatment for gout?
At a gout attack, you can own your inflamed joint with ice chilling the pain. Give your joint rest and put it high.
When you get gout medications. Often these are anti-inflammatory pain relievers: NSAIDs. Colchicine works against pain. If you take too much of it, you can get diarrhea and abdominal discomfort. Warn your doctor. They reduce the dosage over.
Sometimes help NSAIDs or colchicine not good. Then you will receive corticosteroids. Doctor inject them directly into the inflamed joint. This greatly helps with the pain.
Some people with gout disease should continue to use drugs after an attack. This is then usually allopurinol. Allopurinol causes the body less uric acid. You will then get a new gout attack. You can experience nausea, itching or skin rash.
In some people it gives not enough or allopurinol helps too many side effects. Benzbromarone is a possibility. This drug will make you more uric acid through urination. After a while you will get less attacks. Also can get away gout lumps.
Benzbromarone increases the risk of kidney stones. Drink therefore at least two liters of water every day to prevent that from happening.
Sometimes gout lumps leak. The doctor may remove the lumps than during an operation.
If the pain in the joints no longer goes away, is sometimes a surgery (rheumatism surgery) as possible.