What Causes Gout?
A number of risk factors are related to the development of hyperuricemia and gout:
- Genetics may play a role in determining a person's risk, since up to 18% of people with gout have a family history of the disease.
- Gender and age are related to the risk of developing gout; it is more common in men than in women and more common in adults than in children.
- Being overweight increases the risk of gout because there is more tissue available for turnover or breakdown, which leads to excess uric acid production.
- Drinking too much alcohol can lead to hyperuricemia because it interferes with the removal of uric acid from the body.
- Eating too many foods rich in purines can cause or aggravate gout in some people.
- An enzyme defect that interferes with the way the body breaks down purines causes gout in a small number of people, many of whom have a family history of gout.
- Exposure to lead in the environment can cause gout.
- Some people who take certain medicines or have certain conditions are at risk for having high levels of uric acid in their body fluids.
Some Medicines
The following types of drugs can lead to hyperuricemia because they reduce the body's ability to remove uric acid:
