Gout is a type of arthritis that is excruciatingly painful, and it can be debilitating. Even though it commonly develops in the foot, it can develop in other joints of the body too. This condition is due to the build-up of uric acid crystals in the joints, and this can be either due to the excessive consumption of purine-rich foods and beverages or due to the inability of the body to eliminate uric acid. In this article, we will discuss the complications due to chronic gout, and shared below are details about them.
Overview About Gout
Gout is caused due to the build-up of uric acid in the blood, which deposits as crystals in the joints. This leads to the development of severe inflammatory arthritis. Some people experience only a single gout attack. Others experience repeated attacks, and their frequency increases over time. This condition is called chronic gout, and it causes other severe problems or complications, and they are discussed in detail below.
Impact On Daily Activities
The repeated attacks in chronic gout can make sleeping difficult due to the severe pain. This can lead to the following issues: mood swings, fatigue, and increased stress. Apart from these, the pain can interfere with performing household chores, walking, and other daily activities. If the gout symptomsare not taken care of on time, it can cause joint damage, which results in permanent disability.
Tophi
Tophi are caused when urate crystals deposit under the skin, and this is more common in chronic gout. Most often, it occurs in the following parts: hands, wrists, ears, feet, and ankles. Also, they feel like hard bumps under the skin and are usually painless. But, during gout attacks, they become inflamed and painful. Furthermore, tophi grow continually, and it erodes the surrounding skin and damages the tissue of the joints. If this is not treated, it causes damage and destruction of joints causing permanent disability.
Joint Deformity
Repeated gout attacks cause inflammation and growth of tophi in joints. Also, arthritis leads to cartilage loss and bone erosion causing the deformity of affected joints. Because of this, the focus of most treatments for chronic gout is to avoid this situation.
Kidney Stones
The excessive uric acid in the blood can deposit as urate crystals in the kidneys. This leads to the formation of painful kidney stones. Remember that the deposit of urate crystals affects the function of the kidneys.
Other complications due to gout include heart disease, dry eye syndrome, cataracts, and urate crystals in the lungs. We hope that this article gave you a good understanding of complications due to gout.
