Common Symptoms and Treatments for Gout
Gout is a painful defective metabolism disease that causes hyperuricemia, or too much uric acid in the blood. Excess uric acid accumulates when chemical compounds known as purines from foods (i.e., high protein foods like seafood and liver) breakdown. In healthy individuals, purine dissolves in the blood and is eliminated from the body via the kidneys. However, in gout patients, uric acid is produced in such high levels it’s unable to be evacuated. Instead, the build up turns into uric crystals (or tophi) that cause gouty arthritis, typically in smaller joints of the ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, fingers, and most commonly the big toe.
Gout usually strikes in what’s known as flare ups, or gout attacks, during nighttime in the following symptoms:
- Inflammation and redness
- Intense and recurrent joint pain
- Gout attack pain in a joint has been compared to being stabbed, shot, or set on fire
Gout should be examined and brought to the attention of a doctor immediately. If gout is left untreated inflammation and pain can last up to 2-weeks and permanent joint and tissue damage can result from recurrent attacks. Also, due to uric crystals build up in the urinary tract, kidney stones can also develop in patients. The most common treatments for gout include:
- Pain relievers and anti-inflammatories
The most typical treatment route for gout is medication prescribed to relieve painful inflammatory symptoms, and also to prevent the development of uric crystals and future gout attacks. Taken orally, the most common medication used to treat gout aim to relieve joint pain and inflammation:
- NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
- Colchicine
- Corticosteroids
- Reduction of uric acid production
In combination with pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications, doctors also try to decrease the production of uric acid in patients by prescribing drugs like:
- Xanthine oxidase inhibitors (i.e., allopurinol)
- Probenecid, a drug that aids uric acid elimination via the kidneys
