Gout
Gout refers to a
certain form of inflammation of the joints and swellings of a recurrent
type. Although chronic in character, it breaks in acute attacks. It is
a disease of the wealthy and chiefly affects middle-aged men. Women,
after menopause, are also sometimes affected by this disease.
Symptoms
An attack of gout is
usually accompanied by acute pain in the big toe, which becomes tender,
hot and swollen in a few hours. Usually, it is almost impossible to put
any weight on the affected foot during the acute stage of the disease.
It may also similarly affect other joints such as the knees, and the
wrists, and sometimes more than one joint may be affected at a time.
The attack usually occurs at midnight or in the early hours of the
morning, when the patient is suddenly awakened. The acute attack
generally lasts for a week or so. During this period the patient may
run a slight fever, and feel disinclined to eat. His general health
generally remains unaffected.
The attack may
occur again after several weeks or months. The interval becomes shorter
if the disease is not treated properly. The joint generally becomes
damaged by arthritis. This is chronic gout, in which chalky lumps of
uric acid crystals remain in the joint and also form under the skin.
Another serious
complication of gout is kidney stones containing uric acid, causing
severe colic pains in the stomach. In some cases the kidneys become
damaged and do not function properly. This is a serious condition as
the poisonous waste products which are normally removed by the kidneys
accumulate in the blood.
Causes
The chief cause of
gout is the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints, skin and
kidneys. Uric acid is an end product of the body’s chemical processes.
Those affected by gout have a higher level of uric acid than the
normal, due either to the formation of increased or reduced amounts of
acid being passed out by the kidneys in the urine. This uric acid
usually remains dissolved in the blood. But when the blood becomes too
full of it, the uric acid forms needle-shaped crystals in the joints
which bring about attacks of gout.
Heredity is an
important factor in causing this disease and certain races are prone to
gout. Other causes include excessive intake of alcoholic drinks,
regular eating of foods rich in protein and carbohydrates and lack of
proper exercise. Stress is also regarded as an important cause of gout.
During the alarm reaction, millions of body cells are destroyed and
large quantities of uric acid freed from these cells enter the tissues
after being neutralized by sodium.
Treatment
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