What is Gout? What most patients do not know is that gout is a form of arthritis. Gout happens when excessive amounts of uric acid build up inside the body. As a result painful and unusual symptoms occur such as;
· Large lumps under the skin known as “tophi”
· Crystal deposits of uric acid in the big toe and joints
· Kidney stones caused by crystals from uric acid deposits
Gout normally begins in the big toe. The pain is so excruciating until it awakens the victim out of a sound sleep. Noticeable symptoms of the big toe include; redness, swelling and soreness. Other areas where gout is common are:
· The ankles
· The heels
· The wrists
· The elbows
· The fingers
· The knees
· The insteps (soles)
There is no one known factor that brings on the onset of gout. In fact, there are several known events that contribute to this painful illness. An attack can be brought on by stress, drug usage, alcohol or some other illness.
Most attacks can last up to 10 days with or without treatment. Since these attacks are random, another attack may not occur until months or years later. Uric acid normally passes through the kidneys and is eliminated through urination. When uric acid builds up inside the blood stream it produces a condition known as hyperuricemia.
What Can People With Gout Do In Order To Remain Healthy?
Some things that you can do to stay healthy are:
- Always take the medicines prescribed by your doctor.
- Let your doctor know of other medicines and/or vitamins you may be taking.
- Plan future visits to follow up.
- Eat a balanced diet. Avoid anything high in purines.
- Always drink enough water.
- Keep a healthy body weight. But be careful if you are losing weight… fast or wreckless weight loss may increase the uric acid levels in your blood.
Getting Professional Treatment
The Podiatrist is a specialist in s foot, ankle, knee or lower leg problems. The time to see a podiatrist is when you even suspect something may be wrong or when pain will not subside.
It is always our express intent to recommend that you take no chances with foot, ankle or knee pain, or injuries. Professional treatment to relieve the pain is available from doctors such as Delray Beach’s Dr. Ian Goldbaum of Delray Beach Podiatry, who has provided us with this blog. If the pain continues, a podiatrist with Dr. Goldbaum’s experience should be consulted. You must get proper treatment to prevent permanent damage.
Our Staff writers are freelance writers with higher education related to, or experience researching and writing for, medical blogs; with education or experience equal to under graduate and graduate degrees in the fields of medicine.
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