Gout Disease A Type of Acute Arthritis: Is it Enemy of Rich Men?
Gout disease is caused by crystal deposition in or within the surrounding regions of the joints. It is a type of arthritis that shows up by causing excruciating pain, swelling and redness on the feet. Before gout strikes, there must have been raise in the blood uric acid known as hyperuricemia. Activities are on suspension when gout strikes.
It’s been statistically determined that out of the number of people who suffer from gout; 95% are men while only 5% are women. In most cases, gout disease starts out on the big toe and might vanish but not with treatment at the initial stage. It might take as long as years before gout can reappear after the first incident; but when gout finally shows up again and repeatedly in a severe way, it can wreck havoc on the joints. A severe and persistent case of gout disease can hamper movement.
What Is The Cause Of Gout Disease?
As mentioned earlier, gout is a product of crystal deposition in the joints or the areas surrounding the joints. Gout precedes long years of increase or raise in the blood uric acid; a phenomenon known as hyperuricemia. Gout disease is becoming prevalent in recent decades and gout case is increasing steadily. Experts has associated this steady increase of gout prevalence to the changes in variety of diet and lifestyle, high consumption of fatty foods, obesity and increased use of medication. These factors mentioned have great potentiality of raising the levels of uric acid. Fortunately, there is remedy for gout disease through medication and other treatment options.
Treatment for Gout Disease
Treatment for gout diseases is usually geared towards achieving swift pain and inflammation relief, bringing an end to severe gout attacks, preventing attack in the future and ensuring that complications will not result. Some complications that might result from gout treatment include damage of the joint, tophi formation and kidney stones. However, there is always a successful treatment carried out for gout patients; but sometimes, effective treatment can be hampered by complication arising from another disease co-existing with gout in some patients. Also some patients exhibit low compliance for treatment that involves change of lifestyle and dietary pattern; this has the capacity of retarding gout treatment effectiveness.
Medical treatment of gout disease includes:
Indomethacin – acute gout is commonly treated by indomethacin at the first instance. This medication starts out with full dosage and subsequently reduces as the gout symptom calms. A continuous use of this medication is recommended for forty eight hours to ensure that inflammation and pain is no longer experienced. Other NSAIDS can also be effective for gout treatment as well.
Adrenocorticotropic hormone or Corticosteroids is a gout disease medication option for those who cannot medicate on colchicines or NSAIDS. Prednisone (20-40milligram) daily dose is administered to patients who are suffering from acute gout for a period of time between 3 and 4 days. This medication is taken intramuscularly by means of injection.
Other medical treatments for gout disease are Allopurinol, Probenecid, Sulfinpyrazone, ColBenemid and others.
DO NOT commence any treatment on gout disease without due consultation, diagnosis and treatment prescription from qualified medical personnel. A complementary treatment to gout disease will include a change in lifestyle.

July 27th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I had my first case of gout about 2 months ago. I thought I’d sprained both ankles. Predisone was perscribed and it when away. Currently, the gout has been flaring up about every week. Most doctors I talk to do not want to perscribe predisone for every flare up. I can not beleive the amount of pain that accompanies the redness and water retention in my knees, lower legs and feet! At the rate that I’m having these flare ups, it’s almost like I should be on predisone and pain-killers all the time. I have lost about 50% of the movement in my left knee and not bear full weight on it. I also have peticular hemoraging(spelling) on both legs below the knees, this also includes my feet.
Is there anything I can do about this?