What is
Gout?
What is gout? This is probably the
question forming inside your mind after you hear your
doctor say that this is the condition you are suffering
from. In essence, gout is actually a type of arthritis.
This means that the reason why you are feeling pain is
due to the inflammation of your joints.
What makes gout so excruciatingly
painful is the fact that it is caused by the formation
of hardened crystals in between your joints and
surrounding tissues. In order for you to have an idea of
what it looks like, imagine shards of glass embedded in
between your toes.
More often than not, gout attacks
can happen suddenly and rapidly. You will have no way of
knowing that you already have hardening crystals lodged
in your joints until you feel the pain, tenderness and
swelling. Unless you have surgery or you aggressively
address the cause of the problem, the hardened crystals
will stay embedded in your joints and you will surely
experience gout attacks throughout your life.
If you do not do anything about the
root causes of your condition, which can only be high
levels of uric acid in your bloodstream, then it may be
possible for several joints in your body to suffer from
this condition as well.
Studies have shown that men are at a higher risk of developing this type of arthritis. However, women can also develop this condition especially if they have a family history for this condition and they have huge amounts of uric acid in their system. Other people who are at a potential risk of getting gout are overweight people.
Although getting answers to the
question “what is gout” is important, you still need to
learn how to manage the problem and try to treat it
effectively. Drinking plenty of water and cherry juice,
losing unnecessary weight, eating a diet low in purines,
and minimizing intake of alcohol and beer are some of
the ways you can do to prevent further gout
attacks. |