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Getting to Know Gout

Part 1 of 4 - An Introduction to Gout

By Carol & Richard Eustice, About.com

Updated: August 14, 2007

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD

Gout is classified as a type of arthritis because it is initially and predominantly a disease of the joints.

Say the word "gout" and some people will think of a bloated king surveying the remains of a sumptuous feast, wine glass in hand, swollen foot propped on a pillow—looking for all the world like the dismal product of a grossly overindulgent life.

  • The Gout Quiz - Test Your Knowledge
  • Gout Risk Factors

    There are a couple of flaws in the conventional image decribed above. We know, for example, that gout doesn’t afflict only the privileged classes and that women, too, are susceptible, though a lot less than men.

  • Women And Men With Gout Share Certain Risk Factors
  • Gout Screening Quiz
  • But still there’s a good deal right with that picture. It correctly reflects many gout risk factors:

    Age - Gender

    About 90% of people afflicted with gout are men over 40.

    Obesity

    Obesity in general, and in particular excessive weight gain in men between ages 20 and 40, has been shown to increase the risk of gout. In fact, about half of all gout sufferers are overweight.

    Excessive Alcohol - Foods High In Purines

    Alcohol abuse and so-called "binge" drinking are associated with gout, as is eating purine-rich foods such as:

    • brains
    • kidneys
    • liver
    • sardines
    • anchovies
    • dried beans and peas

  • Gout Diet: Foods To Avoid
  • Gout Diet: Foods To Eat
  • The Gout Diet Quiz
  • Other Gout Risk Factors

    In addition, scientific surveys have shown links to an increased risk of gout with:

    • occupational exposure to lead
    • the use of certain drugs to control high blood pressure
    • some surgical procedures
    • family history (possibly a genetic predisposition)
    • trauma

    On-The-Rise

    Indeed, the prevalence of gout--the number of gout sufferers for each 100,000 people — is rising rapidly in the United States and other developed countries. Some authorities believe the increase is related to higher living standards.

    Uric Acid Metabolism

    Our fanciful image of a gouty Henry VIII (or other bloated monarch) can’t show, however, the one common denominator that ties together this mixed bag of risk factors: failure of the metabolic process that controls the amount of uric acid in the blood. For most people, the process works just fine. But in millions of Americans, uric acid metabolism has gone seriously haywire. As a result, they suffer from gout.

    An Attack Of Gout

    And suffer they do. An Englishman, Thomas Sydenham, writing in the 17th century, left this unfortunately all-too-accurate description of a typical attack of gout:

    The victim goes to bed in good health. About two o’clock in the morning, he is awakened by a severe pain in the great toe; more rarely in the heel, ankle, or instep. The pain is like that of a dislocation. It becomes more intense. So exquisite and lively meanwhile is the feeling of the part affected, that it cannot bear the weight of the bed-clothes nor the jar of a person walking in the room. The night is passed in torture.

    Go On To Part 2 --- Getting To Know Gout --->

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