Gout is a serious form of arthritis and the patient suffers a lot of pain. In fact, it is also called, “disease of kings”. This is because it often developed in royalty who indulged in a lot of wine and food. This is a disease that can be disabling.
It is a disease that can affect anyone. However, it can be controlled with the help of medications.
People who are obese or overweight and suffer with diabetes or high blood pressure, high cholesterol or kidney diseases are more prone to getting gout.
Causes Of Gout
One of the major causes of gout is high levels of uric acid in the body. This uric acid develops into needle like crystals of urate that get deposited in the joints. This can happen due to two main reasons – your kidney not being able to remove uric acid from the body or because of increase in the production of uric acid in the body.
Certain foods can result in over production of uric acid in the body. Some of the best examples of such foods include alcohol and shellfish.
Certain medications can also result in an increase in uric acid in your body. Some of these include aspirin, cyclosporine and other diuretics etc., increased uric acid levels in your body can lead to the formation of crystals around joints and they can be responsible for painful gout attacks as they attract white blood cells. Pain can excruciate.
Symptoms Of Gout
Single joints are most often the first area where symptoms occur. The joint will become swollen and painful.
Diagnosis Of Gout
Diagnosis occurs once the characteristics of the crystals are found. Your physician will perform a physical examination and will also extract fluid from an affected joint through a needle. Once the fluid is extracted, he will then examine the fluid to determine if it has monosodium urate crystals. In cases of advanced gout, crystals can also be found under the skin.
Treatment of gout
Medical drugs: Colchicine is one treatment that is given to patients during early attacks of gout. However, the drug does have drawbacks which include diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea and other side effects. NSAIDS which are drugs such as aspirin that are non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also given. These medications may cause diarrhoea, ulcers and stomach irritation.
Herbal supplements
There are some good herbal dietary supplements that have proven to be highly effective for people who suffer with arthritis or gout. Some of these contain ingredients such as reishi mushroom extract, capsaicin, tongat ali etc.
One of the best natural supplements is Provailen. It is a tested formula that not only relieves pain but also reduces swelling and inflammation. It can also help reduce stiffness. Moreover, the side effects are minimal as compared to pain killers and drugs used to treat gout.