What Are the Signs, Symptoms, Risk Factors of Gout?

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Signs and symptoms

. Sudden onset of extreme pain along with warmth, redness, swelling, and inflammation in the affected joint is one symptom of gout. The metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP) is the first joint affected in 50% of cases of gout (podagra). The first few attacks of gout usually affect only a single joint. Later attacks may involve several joints, simultaneously or sequentially.

. Serum triglycerides are elevated in 80% of people with gout.

. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is present in 25-50% of people with gout.

. Fever is not uncommon during a gout attack.

. Presence of uric acid crystals in joint fluid.

Risk factors

. A diet which consists of purine-rich foods

. Obesity

. Hypertension (high blood pressure)

. Dehydration

. Abnormal kidney function

. Lead poisoning

. Genetics (our inherited genes)

. Excessive alcohol intake

. Certain medications and certain primary diseases and conditions increase the risk of developing gout

. Salicylate-containing drugs, such as aspirin

. Diuretics (medications taken to eliminate excess fluid from the body

. Cyclosporine (a medication that suppresses the body’s immune system)

. Levodopa (a medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease)

. Niacin (a B vitamin which is sometimes used to treat coronary artery disease).

. Leukemia and other blood cancers

. Lymphoma

. Hemoglobin disorders

. Hypothyroidism

Thank you for reading.

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Sources: niams.nih.gov . gout.com . rheumatology.org

Image: Gout presenting in the metatarsal-phalangeal joint of the big toe. Note the slight redness of the skin overlying the joint. – By James Heilman, MD (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

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