Gout is a form of arthritis that occurs when excessive amounts of uric acid flows to the extremities of the Body. The Uric acid then crystallizes into the joints causing extreme pain and swelling. People who suffer this painful affliction are unable to excrete the uric acid out of their body fast enough, so it builds up causing problems. Uric acid is the by-product of metabolism, where the body is unable to excrete the purines after the body has digested food and alcohol or other drinks containing purines. Gout is a hereditary metabolic disorder Gout can easily occur just hours after digestion of any food that can trigger it. I had an attack 35 minutes after eating a Seafood soup, and 2 hours later I could not walk at all without pain. Gout will generally arrive in the toe area as a first sign, and it feels like a hammer has hit your foot, it is a disgusting painful beast. Gout is caused by the body's lack of production of uricase which is an enzyme that converts uric acid. Gouty attacks can appear in the spine, heels, feet, toes, knuckles, hands, shins, earlobes, in fact just about anywhere in the body. I get it in the shins, toes, knees, and lately my hands. I have had an attack of gout just by damaging my foot, withing an hour an attack has occurred. It is also associated with stress, diabetes, atherosclerosis ( build up of plaque inside blood vessels ) kidney disease, kidney stones, heart disease and even heart failure, and good old sleep apnea which I suffer from. Middle aged men are the most affected, but women who have reached menopause are also affected due to the lack of estrogen being produced, which is a gout deterrent. There is also a huge relationship of someone else in the family also suffering from Gout. There are traditional drugs to be used to combat gout, by reducing uric acid build up. These drugs are generally NSAIDs, colchicine, indomethacin and allopurinols and are anti-inflammatory in their nature. BUT and I stress here THESE drugs are dangerous, especially if taken long term or mixed with other medicines. YOU MUST speak to your doctor and ask about side effects as they can kill you, or cause you so many other problems that you may decide to take other gout precautions. If you do use these drugs have a thorough knowledge of what they do and only take them short term. The side effects of Allopurinol can be serious with skin eruptions, liver toxicity, kidney problems, stomach bleeding, nausea, and other problems. You must have caution using this drug. Colchicine which is an alkaloid has known renal impairment properties, and is dangerous for aged patients and can cause abdominal pain, vomiting and other fun problems. Yet again I stress, ask your doctor what the side effects are and what happens if you are on other drugs. Ask what are the long and short term side effects. A poor diet is the cause of Gout attacks. To defeat or control gout you should reduce your intake or stop your intake of, legumes, anchovies, processed meat, seafood especially prawns or shrimp, and red meat. But the other gout beast is Beer, I know its sad but beer is full of Purines which will cause gout after a good drinking session, also reduce the intake of malt liquor and red wine. You must drink lots of water a day to help your body flush excess uric acid out as much as possible.
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