It's good to remember that a suddenly sore and painful joint could be gout, but at least until you are sure of the diagnosis, it should be evaluated to be sure it's not something else - such as a serious joint infection that needs emergency treatment. In such cases, a doctor may prescribe a steroid to be taken orally or injected into the joint. Some people can't take such medications, including anyone with kidney disease, bleeding ulcers, or extremely high blood pressure. Your doctor can prescribe a strong nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug to ease your pain. The sooner you get treatment, the sooner you'll get relief. If you have a flare-up of gout, see a doctor right away. According to National Institutes of Health estimates, up to 18 percent of people with gout have a family history of the condition. The condition sometimes runs in families. Women can develop gout too, but it rarely strikes before menopause.
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The typical patient with gout is a man in his 40s. Left untreated, tophi can destroy nearby bone. If you're having attacks and go 10 years or more without medical care, crystals can form permanent, disfiguring lumps known as tophi.
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But gout has a strong tendency to return. Even without treatment, as in Campasano's case, you may not have another attack for months or even years. Campasano has had it only in his foot, but that was enough to keep him on crutches for weeks at time.Įarly flare-ups of gout usually last for three to 10 days before fading away, but they can last longer. A few patients develop gout in more than one joint at a time. Gout can also occur in the knees, ankles, and wrists. In addition to being extremely painful, the affected joint may be red, swollen, and warm to the touch. You'll feel intense pain in a joint, most often in the big toe. The first attack of gout usually comes on suddenly. Other possible culprits include excessive alcohol intake, hypertension, and certain medications including diuretics, niacin, and aspirin. Many things can hamper the body's ability to flush out uric acid. In someone prone to gout, the uric acid in even a few of those foods can bring on an attack. There was pizza with anchovies, followed some days later by liver and onions, and, just before the flare-up, the final insult to his system: shrimp cocktail, lobster, and asparagus, washed down with a little red wine.
#WHAT CAUSES GOUT FLARE UPS SERIES#
Research published in the British Medical Journal also reports that soda, sugary drinks and fructose are strongly associated with an increased risk of gout in men.Ĭampasano had generally been conscientious about his diet since the first bout, but shortly before his second attack of gout, which came nearly 10 years later while he was on vacation, he ate a series of foods tailor-made to bring on an episode. Purines are especially abundant in anchovies, organ meats (such as liver), sardines, and asparagus. Certain foods are rich in purines, compounds that the body breaks down into uric acid. In some cases, diet definitely plays a role. It's not always clear why people produce too much uric acid. The disease seems to be growing more common, but serious complications have become rare. Crystals of uric acid can also form in the kidneys, causing kidney stones.Īccording to the Arthritis Foundation, roughly 6.1 million Americans have experienced at least one gout attack. Eventually, the bloodstream is carrying more uric acid than it can handle, and crystals settle in the spaces around the joints. People with gout have one of two basic problems: Either they produce too much uric acid or their bodies retain more than they should. The crystals that cause gout are made of uric acid, a waste product that is normally expelled in urine. But thanks to modern medicine, most patients can find quick relief and avoid future attacks.
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In the past, this condition was often crippling. As if that weren't bad enough, the body's immune system starts attacking the crystals, causing inflammation and swelling. People with this condition have a build-up of needle-sharp crystals in their joints.
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The excruciating pain is easy to explain. During that first bout, the slightest movement was unbearable. I really thought my toe was going to blow up," Campasano says. It was the most painful experience I have ever had. But when his foot hit the floor, he crumpled in agony. That night he went to bed with a slight tingling in his big toe and woke up vaguely aware of some pain. Campasano had his first excruciating experience with the disease when he was 33. Vinnie Campasano of San Francisco can testify to that. Of all the things that can go wrong with a joint, perhaps nothing's more painful than gout.