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Arthritis and Gout
Gout is a form of arthritis -- an inflammation of the joints -- that causes sudden, severe attacks of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling in some joints. It usually affects one joint at a time although it can be in several joints at once.
The large toe is most often affected, but gout can also affect other joints in the leg -- such as the knee, ankle, and foot -- and, less often, joints in the arm including the hand, wrist, fingers, and elbow. The spine is almost never affected.
What Are the Symptoms of Gout?
The symptoms of gout include:
- Sudden, intense joint pain, which often can wake a person from sleep.
- Swollen joint that is warm to touch.
- Red or purple skin around the joint.
If someone has gout on and off for years, eventually uric acid crystals may accumulate in the body to form gritty nodules called "tophi." These nodules can appear as lumps under the skin near joints such as the elbows and fingers, at the rim of the ears, or in the kidneys.
Uric acid comes from purines, which are the natural breakdown products of the genetic material in cells, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Some foods contain large amounts of purines, especially red meats and organ meats (such as liver and kidneys), as well as some shellfish, anchovies, and beer. Purines are broken down to uric acid in the body.
Uric acid in normal amounts remains dissolved in the blood and easily passes through the kidneys, leaving the body in urine as waste. However, uric acid in high amounts makes a person more likely to develop gout. That's because the uric acid can form into crystals in higher amounts.
The amount of uric acid in your blood can change depending on what you eat, your overall health, how much alcohol you drink and what medicines you are taking, as well as in response to a sudden illness.
What Causes Gout?
Gout results from abnormal deposits of uric acid crystals in the joint cartilage. The crystals are later released into the joint fluid.
Gout was once incorrectly thought to be a disease of only the rich and famous, caused by consuming too much rich food and fine wine. Although diet and excessive drinking contribute to gout, they are not the main cause of the condition. We now know that heredity plays a role in the development of gout and it's often associated with other medical problems like high blood pressure.
Not everyone with high levels of uric acid will develop gout. The kidneys' ability to rid the body of uric acid is partly determined by heredity. Yet, just because someone in the family suffers from gout does not mean everyone in that family will have the disease. This risk varies from person to person.
WebMD Medical Reference
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