Health

What You Should Know About Gout

A general term for a variety of conditions that are caused by uric acid buildup is Gout. This buildup will often affect your feet, you’re your big toe joint being the first affected in most cases. However, gout can affect other joints as well, and it will cause sudden and extreme pain.

In case you experience sudden pain that could even wake you up in the middle of the night, you should visit your doctor. You can check out rheumatologist gout in Brisbane like in arthritisCARE or search locally. Just know that if gout goes untreated, you could experience permanent joint damage.

Gout could cause permanent joint damage

What causes gout?

In simple terms, the uric acid building in your blood that happens from the breakdown of purines is what causes this condition. There are some conditions, such as disorders of metabolism and blood, that could cause your body to overproduce uric acid. Kidney and thyroid problems, together with some disorders that are inherited, could make it more difficult for your body to get rid of excess uric acid.

You are more likely to have gout, if you:

  • Drink a lot of alcohol.
  • Have parents, siblings or relatives who also have gout.
  • Are a postmenopausal woman or a middle-aged man.
  • Take some medications, like diuretics.
  • Have a condition such as diabetes, kidney and thyroid disease, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

What are the symptoms of gout?

In simple words, extreme and sudden pain in the joints is the first symptom of gout. In most cases, the pain will occur in the joint of the big toe, and often times it wakes up people in the middle of the night. If you are experiencing extreme pain in the joints it is crucial that you visit your doctor on time. If you do not get gout treated, you might be left with permanently damaged joints.

Some people could have excess uric acid in their blood without symptoms, which is then called asymptomatic gout. If you do not treat gout, it will become chronic, and it will form hard lumps that are called tophi. They will appear in your joints and skin and soft tissue surrounding them.

Treatments are important to prevent gout from becoming chronic. If you would like to know more, you can visit the polymyalgia rheumatica medication in Brisbane or you can search locally. Whatever the case might be, it is important that you talk to your doctor if you start experiencing any kind of pain in your joints.

Talk to your doctor!

Finalword

Your doctor will give you a treatment that will be tailored to your individual case. There are also some home remedies you could follow as well, such as having a proper diet and exercise. It is important that you listen to your doctor, and follow the treatment, because if you do not do that, you will be left with damaged joints that could restrict your movements.