Gout Care in Chronic Pain Conditions

What You Need To Know About Gout

Understanding gout, its causes, and how we help you find relief from painful attacks.

Understanding and Treating Gout

Gout is a common type of arthritis that most often affects the joint at the base of your big toe. While it is more common among those over 30, people of any age can suffer from this condition. Gout is a disorder that results from the buildup of uric acid in the tissues or a joint.

Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid in the blood. Normally, a slightly elevated level of uric acid is not harmful, but when the levels become too high, the acid may form hard crystals in the joint. This could cause severe burning pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joint. While both men and women can be affected by gout, it is more common in men.

Gout commonly affects the big toe because uric acid is sensitive to temperature changes. At cooler temperatures, uric acid turns into crystals. Since the toe is the part of the body that is farthest from the heart, it is also the coolest part of the body and, thus, the most likely target of gout. However, gout can affect any joint in the body.

Attacks of gout come on suddenly and can be miserable, causing intense joint pain that often occurs in the middle of the night or upon waking, lingering discomfort that lasts a few days to weeks, inflammation with redness, swelling, warmth, and tenderness, and restricted range of motion.

Without treatment, gout can lead to increased pain and joint damage. If you experience sudden, intense joint pain, schedule an appointment with us right away so our providers can review your symptoms and confirm a diagnosis.

Causes, Risk Factors, and Treatment

Gout attacks are caused by deposits of crystallized uric acid in the joint. Uric acid is present in the blood and eliminated in the urine, but in people who have gout, uric acid accumulates and crystallizes in the joints. Uric acid is the result of the breakdown of purines, chemicals found naturally in our bodies and in food. Some people develop gout because their kidneys have difficulty eliminating normal amounts of uric acid, while others produce too much. The tendency to accumulate uric acid is often inherited.

Certain factors may increase your risk, including a family history of gout, conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and kidney disease, a diet rich in red meat, seafood, beer, and wine, being overweight, drinks sweetened with fructose, prolonged use of diuretics, and recent trauma or surgery.

To diagnose gout, our providers review your symptoms and medical history and examine the affected joint. You may need tests, such as blood work or an on-site digital X-ray, to confirm a diagnosis and rule out other causes of inflammation.

Initial treatment typically includes prescription medications or injections for pain and swelling, dietary restrictions to avoid foods high in purines, plenty of water while avoiding alcohol, and immobilizing and elevating the foot.

Symptoms usually resolve in three to ten days with treatment. If symptoms continue or repeated attacks occur, daily maintenance medication may be needed to prevent long-term joint damage.