Gout can be a very painful form of arthritis disease. It is mainly caused due to the formation of crystals in and around the joints. This disease is seen mostly in men especially when they get older. Most of us think that gout is formed due to the overconsumption of alcohol and being obese. But the real story is different. Gout develops in people with higher levels of urate in their bloodstream. Urate is formed every day in our body from the food we consume.
When the level of urate rises in the body, the body tries to eliminate the extra urate through your urine. But in case if your kidney is unable to remove that extra urate created in your bloodstream, then the urate levels start to rise up forming crystals around the joints.
They mainly form around firm joint tissues such as cartilage. But in other cases, crystals can also appear around your skin and affect the internal organs like kidney, etc.
Symptoms of Gout
Over the years the crystals build up around the joints without us knowing they are there. These crystals overflow and spill out from the cartilage between the bones in a joint. These strong sharp crystals create friction against the soft lining tissues called the synovium. This causes an attack or flare of gout resulting in excessive pain and swelling around the soft lining of the joint.
Gout attacks are especially common in joints at the ends of your legs and arms, such as in your fingers and toes. This is probably because these parts of the body are cooler, and low temperatures make it more likely for crystals to form.
The main symptoms during an attack of gout are:
Very painful, body part becomes tender and red, hot and swollen.
Visit your nearest low income medical clinic if any of these symptoms arises.
The attack usually stays for a week or more. If left untreated could spread to new joints.
Treatment Methods
The most commonly used drug treatments for attacks of gout are:
Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, Colchicines or Steroids.
But your preference is also taken into consideration – many people with gout quickly learn what works best for them.
You can also manage Gout attack at home to an extent, by keeping the area cool with an ice pack or frozen peas. Always keep the affected joint at rest and at an elevated position.
To avoid these diseases exercise is extremely important. That is not just to reduce the chances of an attack, but also for your general health and wellbeing.