Gout or arthritis, commonly known as foot rheumatism, is an inflammatory disease caused by an excess of uric acid in the blood, a situation called hyperuricaemia in which the concentration of urate in the blood is higher than 6.8 mg/dL, which causes a lot of joint pain.Symptoms include swelling, redness and pain when moving a joint, the most affected is usually the big toe, which is painful, especially when walking.
It is important to note that not everyone who has high uric acid levels will develop gout, as the disease depends on other factors.
- Gout attacks improve and what you can do is improve your diet to reduce uric acid levels in your blood and use anti-inflammatory to control pain and inflammation.
- Such as ibuprofen.
- Naproxen.
- Or colchicine; However.
- It is important to control uric acid levels.
- To prevent gout attacks and irreversible complications.
- Such as deformed joints.
To control uric acid levels in your blood, your rheumatologist or family doctor may recommend using medications to block uric acid production, such as allopurinol, or medications to help your kidneys remove uric acid from your urine, such as Probeneced.
Gout symptoms occur as a result of the deposit of uric acid crystals in the joints, causing severe joint pain that lasts a few days and worsens with movement, as well as an increase in local temperature, edema and redness.
The pain, which usually begins at dawn, is intense enough to wake the patient and lasts between 12 and 24 hours, however, after the pain, the person may feel discomfort in the affected joint, especially when moving, which can last from a few days to a few weeks, especially if the gout is not treated properly.
Any joint may be affected, but gout is more common in the lower extremities, especially on the big toes of the foot, kidney stones can also form and uric acid crystals are deposited under the skin forming bumps on the fingers, elbows, knees, feet and ears, for example..
Learn to recognize the symptoms of gout
Gout diagnosis is based on the patient’s medical history, physical examination and complementary tests, such as the dose of uric acid in the blood and urine, as well as x-rays.
O padrão ouro para diagnóstico da gota é a observação de cristais de urato através da microscopia.
Gout occurs as a result of hyperuricaemia, which corresponds to an increase in the amount of uric acid in the blood, which can occur both by increased uric acid production and by a deficit in the elimination of this substance.drop are:
Due to the large amounts of uric acid circulating, there is a deposit of monosodium urate crystals, which is the solid form of uric acid, in the joints, especially in the big toes of the foot, ankles and knees.
Gout is more common in people who are overweight or obese with sedentary lifestyles and poorly controlled chronic diseases, and gout is more common in men between 40 and 50 years old and women after menopause, usually starting at age 60.
Gout treatment is mainly divided into two stages: acute crisis management and long-term treatment.Treatment of gout attacks involves anti-inflammatory medications that should be recommended by your doctor, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, for example, to relieve joints.Pain and inflammation Another anti-inflammatory remedy widely used to control pain and inflammation is colchicine, which also acts at the uric acid level.
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, can also be used to treat joint pain and inflammation, but these remedies are only used when the person cannot take other anti-inflammatory medications or when they do not have the desired effect.
In addition to these remedies, your rheumatologist or family doctor may also prescribe medications to control blood uric acid levels to prevent further attacks and prevent complications, such as allopurinol or probénécide.Learn more about gout treatment.
It is also important to change eating habits, as it can directly influence the amount of circulating uric acid and therefore the deposit of crystals in the joint, and treat underlying diseases that can also promote the appearance of gout if left untreated, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, for example.
To relieve the symptoms of gout and prevent new seizures, it is important to change their eating habits so that uric acid levels are regularized, so the person should reduce or avoid eating foods rich in purines, such as cheese, lentils, soy., red meats or shellfish, as they increase uric acid levels in the blood, and drink about 2 to 4 liters of water a day, as water helps remove excess uric acid from the urine.
Find out what foods you should or shouldn’t eat in the following video: