Frequently Asked Questions About Gout
There are so many things about gout whish are misunderstood. And while it is not easy to understand the chemistry, the effect and prevention are rather easy.
This list is a compilation from many different sources, in particular Facebook gout support groups. If you have more questions, or find the answers unclear, let me know at wisterian.watertree@gmail.com.
This list is a compilation from many different sources, in particular Facebook gout support groups. If you have more questions, or find the answers unclear, let me know at wisterian.watertree@gmail.com.
WHAT IS GOUT?
Gout is a condition where the creation of crystals that happen when there is an excess of uric acid (more uric acid in your blood than 6.8 mg/dl) in your blood trigger an inflammation. That is where the pain comes from.
WHY DO I GET GOUT?
There are three answers to this question (four, if you count "the universe is pissed off and want me to feel the pain"). I am not saying anything about the triggers of attacks and flare-ups, that is a different story.
1. Genetic.
Most people with gout have inherited a predeliction for the condition - that is to say, you have inherited the fact that you can get it. Your parents may not have it since it can skip several generations. Some scientists even theorize that the conditions depend on having genes from the Neanderthals. In that case, it has skipped quite a few generations.
2. Metabolic syndrome.
If you are overweight, and in particular if you do not move much, you are in the risk zone for gout. Partly it is because long-term overweight makes the metabolism in your liver and cells less efficient, which means you produce more uric acid.
3. Decreased kidney function due to disease, medication, operation etc.
When your body produces uric acid, it has to be flushed out of your body. That is what the kidneys do. If they do not work well, uric acid stays in your body and gives you gout.
1. Genetic.
Most people with gout have inherited a predeliction for the condition - that is to say, you have inherited the fact that you can get it. Your parents may not have it since it can skip several generations. Some scientists even theorize that the conditions depend on having genes from the Neanderthals. In that case, it has skipped quite a few generations.
2. Metabolic syndrome.
If you are overweight, and in particular if you do not move much, you are in the risk zone for gout. Partly it is because long-term overweight makes the metabolism in your liver and cells less efficient, which means you produce more uric acid.
3. Decreased kidney function due to disease, medication, operation etc.
When your body produces uric acid, it has to be flushed out of your body. That is what the kidneys do. If they do not work well, uric acid stays in your body and gives you gout.
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT MY GOUT?
1. Lower your purine intake. It means less raw material for the uric acid production, and hence less gout.
2. Lower your sugar intake. Sugar breakdown creates uric acid.
3. Eat vitamin C. It oxidices the uric acid.
4. Drink milk (or yoghurt). It helps to flush out uric acid.
5. Stay hydrated. When your body loses water, the volume of the blood decreases too. Since the uric acid does not decrease, the concentration increases.
6. Lose weight. It means less metabolic stress and makes it easier for your body to execrete the uric acud. But do not do it too fast, it can release stored uric acid.
2. Lower your sugar intake. Sugar breakdown creates uric acid.
3. Eat vitamin C. It oxidices the uric acid.
4. Drink milk (or yoghurt). It helps to flush out uric acid.
5. Stay hydrated. When your body loses water, the volume of the blood decreases too. Since the uric acid does not decrease, the concentration increases.
6. Lose weight. It means less metabolic stress and makes it easier for your body to execrete the uric acud. But do not do it too fast, it can release stored uric acid.
CAN YOU INHERIT GOUT?
No, but you can inherit a predisposition for gout, that is to say, you may never get gout since you have never eaten anything but vegetables; and never drunk anything stronger than pure spring water. If you had been eating meat and drinking beer instead, you would have got gout.
WHY IS GOUT SO PAINFUL?
The pain comes from the nerves, most often in the big toe, being squeezed. That happens when you get an inflammation and the blood vessels expand so they can bring in more white blood cells and transport away the damaged cells - although there are no damaged cells because this in not an infection. When the squeezing happens in an area with confined quarters, like your big toe, it becomes painful.
HOW CAN I MAKE A GOUT ATTACK STOP?
You need to do two things: Make the inflammation go away, and reduce the uric acid. Since the inflammation will not go away if there are still uric acid crystals present or being formed, you need to reduce the uric acid first. Then get rid of the inflammation, unless it has not gone away by itself.
WHAT CAN I EAT WHEN I HAVE GOUT?
Anything low in purines is fine. In practice, that means no seafood or animal products except eggs, cheese, or dairy; nothing with added sugar, and no alcohol.
WHAT ARE TRIGGER FOODS?
According to what some people think, gout attacks happen when you eat certain things. Thst is not how it works. Rather, you are slowly building up uric acid crystals in your body, and when you go over the level where there is so much in your body that they collect in the joint fluid, you get an attack. That can be triggered by eating something purine-rich, but also by eating something sweet or by dehydration or trauma (you bumped your toe).
WHAT MEDICINE CAN I GET?
There is one medicine which is almost almost always prescribed for gout, and that is Allopurinol. There are a few alternatives, and it is usually prescribed with antiinflammatory medication, since the gout attacks actually is an inflammation.
HOW DOES THE MEDICATION WORK?
Allopurinol decreases the bodys own production of uric acid, which means the uric acid level becomes lower than the threshold for crystallization, and makes it possible to eat some meat without getting a gout attack.
DO I HAVE TO TAKE MEDICINE FOREVER?
When you take allopurinol or febuxostat, you can not stop. It is a maintenance medicine, like betablockers for high blood pressure. If you stop taking betablockers the blood pressure goes up and you place yourself at risk for a heart attack. If you stop taking allopurinol, the uric acid level in your blood goes up and you place yourself at risk for a gout attack. So the answer is yes.
If your uric acid levels are low enough, you can maintain life without gout attacks by a lifestyle change. That is your alternative.
If your uric acid levels are low enough, you can maintain life without gout attacks by a lifestyle change. That is your alternative.
WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR CAN HELP ME?
You need a rheumatologist, because gout is a form of arthritis, where the inflammation is caused by a reaction to the uric acid crystals, not an autoimmune reaction. But the rheumatologist will know how to diagnose you and how to treat you.
IS GOUT A DISEASE THAT WILL GO AWAY WHEN I FINISH THE COURSE OF MEDICINES?
No. Gout can not be cured like influenza or Covid-19. In that case, you would become immune after the first attack, and not get any more. But any gout sufferer will tell you that it just keeps coming back. It is a condition, more like diabetes.
IS GOUT LIKE AN ALLERGY, SAY HAY FEVER?
Not quite. But they have the inflammationin common. Allergies are triggered by airborne or foodborne substances, which trigger an inflammation so your body can get rid of them.
WHAT SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD I TAKE?
You will be recommended lots of different things but the scientific evidence is scarce. Try everything you like, but only these three are backed up by real scientific studies:
Vitamin C is proven to lower the risk of gout attacks, tumeric has antiinflammatory properties, and milk flushes out uric acid (the active ingredient for that is called orotic acid).
Read more here: https://www.thegoutbeater.com/milk_flushes_uric_acid.html
Vitamin C is proven to lower the risk of gout attacks, tumeric has antiinflammatory properties, and milk flushes out uric acid (the active ingredient for that is called orotic acid).
Read more here: https://www.thegoutbeater.com/milk_flushes_uric_acid.html
SCIENTISTS HAVE KNOWN WHAT CAUSES GOUT SINCE 1848. WHY HAVE THEY NOT FOUND A CURE?
Gout itself was described by the ancient Greeks, and uric acid crystals described by Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of the microscope, in the 17th century. But it was not until 1848 that Garrod established the relationship between gout and uric acid.
There is no cure for gout, any more than there are cures for diabetes or aging. You have to learn to manage it.
There is no cure for gout, any more than there are cures for diabetes or aging. You have to learn to manage it.
DOES SPORTS DRINKS TRIGGER GOUT ATTACKS?
Sports drinks contain electrolytes
Questions to answer:
Gout and heart
Gout and joints
Gout and kidneys
Gout and varicose veins
Gout and liver
Gout and glucose
Gout and fructose
Gout and alcohol
Gout and diabetes
Gout and pre-diabetes
Beans and gout
Spinach and gout
- How does losimg weight help, and why do you have to manage it?
- How do dark cherries work, and why you do not want to eat cherries or drink cherry juice.
- Does eating salt or drinking sports drinks trigger attacks? Does it cause gout flareups?
- Sugar and gout
- Fat and gout
- Spicy food and gout
- Weightloss and gout
- We are all individuals, but we all have the same biochemistry
- Why trigger foods is an illusion
Gout and heart
Gout and joints
Gout and kidneys
Gout and varicose veins
Gout and liver
Gout and glucose
Gout and fructose
Gout and alcohol
Gout and diabetes
Gout and pre-diabetes
Beans and gout
Spinach and gout
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