Gout

Gout is characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, redness and tenderness in joints, often the joint at the base of the big toe. Gout — a complex form of arthritis — can affect anyone. Men are more likely to get gout, but women become increasingly susceptible to gout after menopause. An attack of gout can occur suddenly, often waking you up in the middle of the night with the sensation that your big toe is on fire. The affected joint is hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of the sheet on it may seem intolerable. Fortunately, gout is treatable, and there are ways to reduce the risk that gout will recur The signs and symptoms of gout almost always occur suddenly — often at night — and without warning. They include:

Intense joint pain. Gout usually affects the large joint of your big toe, but it can occur in your feet, ankles, knees, hands and wrists. The pain is likely to be most severe within the first four to 12 hours after it begins.
Lingering discomfort. After the most severe pain subsides, some joint discomfort may last from a few days to a few weeks. Later attacks are likely to last longer and affect more joints.
Inflammation and redness. The affected joint or joints become swollen, tender, warm and red.
Limited range of motion. Decreased joint mobility may occur as gout progresses.

Gout occurs when urate crystals accumulate in joint, causing the inflammation and intense pain of a gout attack. Urate crystals can form when you have high levels of uric acid in your blood. Body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines — substances that are found naturally in body, as well as in certain foods, such as steak, organ meats and seafood. Other foods also promote higher levels of uric acid, such as alcoholic beverages, especially beer, and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose). Normally, uric acid dissolves in blood and passes through kidneys into urine. But sometimes body either produces too much uric acid or kidneys excrete too little uric acid. When this happens, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like urate crystals in a joint or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling. You’re more likely to develop gout if you have high levels of uric acid in your body. Factors that increase the uric acid level in your body include:

Diet. Eating a diet that’s high in meat and seafood and high in beverages sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose) promotes higher levels of uric acid, which increases your risk of gout. Alcohol consumption, especially of beer, also increases the risk of gout.
Obesity. If you are overweight, your body produces more uric acid and your kidneys have a more difficult time eliminating uric acid, which greatly increases your risk of gout.
Medical conditions. Certain diseases and conditions make it more likely that you’ll develop gout. These include untreated high blood pressure and chronic conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart and kidney diseases.
Certain medications. The use of thiazide diuretics — commonly used to treat hypertension — and low-dose aspirin also can increase uric acid levels. So can the use of anti-rejection drugs prescribed for people who have undergone an organ transplant.
Family history of gout. If other members of your family have had gout, you’re more likely to develop the disease.
Age and sex. Gout occurs more often in men, primarily because women tend to have lower uric acid levels. After menopause, however, women’s uric acid levels approach those of men. Men also are more likely to develop gout earlier — usually between the ages of 30 and 50 — whereas women generally develop signs and symptoms after menopause.
Recent surgery or trauma. Experiencing recent surgery or trauma has been associated with an increased risk of developing gout

People with gout can develop more-severe conditions, such as:
Recurrent gout. Some people may never experience gout signs and symptoms again. But others may experience gout several times each year. Medications may help prevent gout attacks in people with recurrent gout. If left untreated, gout can cause erosion and destruction of a joint.
Advanced gout. Untreated gout may cause deposits of urate crystals to form under the skin in nodules called tophi (TOE-fie). Tophi can develop in several areas such as your fingers, hands, feet, elbows or Achilles tendons along the backs of your ankles. Tophi usually aren’t painful, but they can become swollen and tender during gout attacks.
Kidney stones. Urate crystals may collect in the urinary tract of people with gout, causing kidney stones. Medications can help reduce the risk of kidney stones.

Tests to help diagnose gout may include:

Joint fluid test. Your doctor may use a needle to draw fluid from your affected joint. When examined under the microscope, your joint fluid may reveal urate crystals.
Blood test. Uric acid and creatinine
X-ray imaging, .Ultrasound, Dual energy CT scan can be done…
Treatment for gout usually involves medications. Gout medications can be used to treat acute attacks and prevent future attacks as well as reduce your risk of complications from gout, such as the development of tophi from urate crystal deposits.

Certain foods have been studied for their potential to lower uric acid levels, including:

Coffee. Studies have found an association between coffee drinking — both regular and decaffeinated coffee — and lower uric acid levels, though no study has demonstrated how or why coffee may have such an effect. The available evidence isn’t enough to encourage non coffee drinkers to start, but it may give researchers clues to new ways of treating gout in the future.
Vitamin C. Supplements containing vitamin C may reduce the levels of uric acid in your blood. However, no studies have demonstrated that vitamin C affects the frequency or severity of gout attacks.
Cherries. Cherries have been associated with lower levels of uric acid in studies, as well as a reduced number of gout attacks. Eating more cherries and drinking cherry extract may be a safe way to supplement your gout treatment, but discuss it with your doctor first.

During symptom-free periods, these dietary guidelines may help protect against future gout attacks:

1. Keep your fluid intake high
2. Limit or avoid alcohol.
3. Get your protein from low-fat dairy products
4. Limit your intake of meat, fish and poultry
5. Maintain a desirable body weight.

Cure Gout Naturally
The knowing which foods are rich in Purine is important for your health!

Daily Normal Purine of Levels for the average Adult

Recommended Daily Purine Levels for people with gout or hyperuricemia
For people who have gout or severe hyperuricemia, a suggested level of 100-150 milligrams of purine should be at ingested a day. More than that can cause gout to be more severe and painful.
Here are the concentrations of Purine in food to help enable you to plan your diet.

Purines with 400 milligrams or higher
Fish, liver, mushroom, sweet bread, pig or beef organs, yeast, sardines in oil, sprat

Purines with 100-400 milligrams
Soya bean, beef fillet, chicken breast with skin, anchovies, halibut, caviar, roast beef, duck, tuna in oil, salmon in oil, sardines, pilchards, lamb (muscles only), lobster, ham, dry lentil seeds, mussels, peas, pike, dry poppy seeds, pork belly, venison, dried grapes, sultanas, rabbit, German sausage, pork saugsage, scallop, shrimp, turkey with skin, veal.

Purines with 100 or lower
Almond, Apple, Apricot, Artichoke, Asparagus, Aubergine, Avocado, Bamboo shoots, corned beef, banana, bean sprouts, beer, bilberry, blueberry, wheat bread or white bread, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, cheese. Sweet cherries, Chinese leaves, cocoa powder, chives, sweet corn, crispbread, cucumber, dried dates, elderberry, endive, fennel leaves, fig, eel, frankfurter sausages, grape, kiwi fruit, leek, lettuce, melon, peanut, hazelnut, brazil nut, oyster, parsely, pasta, peas, pear, peach, green peppers, pineapple, plum, potato, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, whole grain rye, sauerkraut, Vienna sausages, spinach, strawberry, tofu, tomato, walnuts, wheat, yoghurt (minimum fat content of 3.5%) Avoiding foods rich in Purine can stop you from having further gout attacks and prevents permanent damage to your joints and kidneys. If you follow the recommended guidelines above, you can achieve a healthy lifestyle!