Gout In Women And Men: What It Is, Symptoms, Photos On The Legs

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Gout: how to avoid a fatal outcome

Diseases associated with metabolism, despite the prevailing stereotype, are of concern not only to people leading the wrong lifestyle. Hereditary illnesses, medications, surgery, and injury can all lead to health problems, including gout. The disease can manifest itself in people of different ages and sex, and it does not bypass women.

What is gout: symptoms of the disease

Gout occurs due to metabolic disorders: a large amount of uric acid accumulates in the blood, the salts of which are gradually deposited on internal organs and tissues, primarily in the joints. The sharp edges of the salt crystals traumatize tissues, causing inflammation and severe pain.

First of all, the joints are hit - as a rule, the disease first affects the feet. The joint of the big toe turns red, swells, the skin above it becomes hot to the touch, all this is accompanied by a pronounced pain syndrome (sometimes the pain becomes almost unbearable). Further, the symptoms grow and spread upwards - gout affects the knee and wrist joints, small joints of the hands.

Inflammation of the joints of the thumbs on the feet - the first manifestation of gout

A gout attack lasts from 1 to 10 days, then the symptoms decline - a patient who has survived this period on painkillers may mistakenly assume that the disease has receded and not seek help from a doctor. However, this error can become fatal - in the absence of treatment, the disease progresses, affecting more and more tissues and organs (the kidneys get hit, their work is disrupted, which leads to general poisoning of the body).

Gout proceeds in waves: an attack, temporary relief, a new attack. Over time, the intervals between attacks shrink, symptoms worsen, and unbearable pain becomes a constant companion of a person. In addition, tofuses, dense nodules of uric acid salts, begin to appear. Topuses can be located not only in the area of the joints, they are often found on the auricles, in bone tissues and internal organs. Periodically, the formations open up on their own - a white mass comes out of them, similar to a paste.

Tophus cause pain in gout

Causes of gout

As already mentioned, gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood, but many factors can lead to this disease:

• unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, alcohol abuse, especially beer, taking drugs);
• high blood pressure (hypertension);
• constant overeating and the resulting obesity, a sedentary lifestyle. Especially dangerous is the use of products containing purines (substances that turn into uric acid): fatty fish, red caviar, meat (and broths from it), beans, chocolate and coffee;
• genetic diseases and defects that make it difficult to remove uric acid from the body;
• taking diuretics, undergoing chemotherapy;
• joint injuries, previous operations on them;
• infectious diseases.

Diagnosis and treatment of the disease

If you suspect gout, you should immediately see a doctor: remember that delay can cost you your health, and in the worst case, your life. In no case should you experience bouts of the disease, relieve symptoms with painkillers, be treated with folk remedies and take medications not prescribed by a doctor. Time is against you: the later treatment is started, the more complications of the disease will arise.

First of all, the doctor will examine the affected joints, identifying the classic signs of gout:

• edema;
• soreness;
• redness of the skin;
• local temperature rise;
• the appearance of tofuses.

Further clinical trials will be assigned:

• examination of fluid taken from the joints;
• determination of uric acid crystals in the contents of tophus.

When the diagnosis is confirmed, drug therapy will be prescribed. First of all, it will be necessary to relieve inflammation: for this, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, if they do not have the desired effect, glucocorticosteroid hormones are connected (they can be taken both in the form of tablets and inject directly into sore joints).

After the gout attack has been removed, they begin to prevent its recurrence by lowering the level of uric acid in the blood. To do this, use:

• medicines that prevent acid from forming;
• drugs that accelerate the excretion of acid by the kidneys (as a rule, the patient has to take such medications constantly).

Video: how to diagnose and treat gout

Treatment prognosis and possible consequences

With timely and adequate treatment, the prognosis is favorable. If therapy is not carried out, the disease spreads, affects the kidneys, causing their failure and subsequent renal failure, which can be fatal. In addition, kidney problems provoke an increase in blood pressure, which can lead to a hypertensive crisis and patient death.

In case of renal failure, the body cannot cleanse itself, the patient needs hemodialysis - blood purification using an artificial kidney apparatus

Methods for preventing gout

To avoid the occurrence of the disease, risk factors should be excluded:

• monitor nutrition and weight, reduce it if necessary;
• to refuse from bad habits;
• wear only comfortable shoes, avoid injury to the joints;
• take medications only as directed by a doctor;
• control blood pressure, take medications prescribed by a doctor to lower it.

Separately, foods that increase the likelihood of gout should be highlighted. If you are at risk, exclude from your diet:

• meat and meat broths,
• fatty foods, smoked meats, canned food,
• spicy and salty dishes, spices,
• beans (beans, peas, chickpeas, etc.) and mushrooms,
• fatty fish and caviar,
• chocolate, strong tea and coffee, cocoa,
• sweets with fat cream,
• grapes and products from it,
• alcohol (especially beer).

You can replace prohibited foods with fresh fruits, herbs and spices.

Gout is a difficult and dangerous condition that can aggravate the course of chronic diseases and lead to dire consequences. At the first signs of the disease, do not delay visiting the doctor, the earlier treatment is started, the more chances of a successful outcome.