Symptoms of Gout - A Closer Look at Gout Causes and Prevention
Gout is an extremely painful form of arthritis caused primarily by high uric acid levels in the blood. Uric acid is the result of purine consumption and can be found in food sources such as organ meat, some shellfish, some seafood, meat from cattle and pigs, as well as a number of plant foods. The symptoms of gout are normally caused by the formation of new uric acid crystals in your body and your joints being affected by them. Gout most commonly affected the large joint at the base of your big toe. Other joints such as the fingers, elbows and knees are also affected, but tend to manifest much later than the toe.
Symptoms of gout include, joint pain, stiffness and swelling around the affected joints, as well as general soreness and discomfort. Sometimes, symptoms of gout will affect only one or two joints in a particular location such as the fingers. In these instances the condition will not be considered serious. However, in more sever cases the affected joints may feel stiff, warm and very tender and more acute cases may even leave the person with very low back pain.
The most common cause of gout is a chronic kidney disease. Gout can be very debilitating as it causes damage to the kidneys themselves. When you have gout, the uric acids end up building up in your joints causing inflammation and extreme pain. Chronic kidney disease can make it impossible for the kidney to function properly and uric acids will build up in your joints. People with kidney problems that have not addressed chronic kidney disease may experience the symptoms of gout first hand. To understand the topic even better, read about dymptoms of gout and its prevention on this site.
Some of the other symptoms of gout that may seem unrelated could actually be pointing to another condition. For example, a sudden acute gout attack could be caused by a pinched nerve in your hand or the nerves in your neck. These kinds of symptoms should not be ignored as they can point to a more serious problem. By getting an accurate diagnosis you can ensure that you receive proper treatment. A doctor can determine the cause of an attack and provide treatment right away.
Once you have gotten a positive diagnosis for gout, you can start planning a treatment plan. There are many ways to help manage your symptoms including changes in your diet and exercise routines. Your doctor can provide more detailed information about the symptoms of gout and various self-management strategies for treating chronic conditions. Even if you are experiencing some of the symptoms without having a chronic condition you can still use the self-management strategies outlined here. You can also learn more about four stages of gout and various ways to prevent future attacks from occurring.
In addition to changing your diet and losing weight through diet and exercise, other symptoms of gout that you need to be aware of include excessive drinking of alcohol, the use of diuretics, and drinking larger amounts of water than is normal. If you have excessive drinking of alcohol it is important to avoid alcohol altogether, but this may not be practical for everyone. For those people who can not completely quit alcohol, the best thing they can do is cut back on its consumption. Drinking too much water can also cause gout, so diuretics are often used to control water levels in the body. At: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatrist you can get more enlightened on this topic.
