A lot of people suffer from joint pains of varying kinds these days, and it is often found that a majority of them seek medical assistance only when the pain becomes unbearable.
If you happen to be one such person who has been going unmindfully behind all sorts of natural remedies for your joint pain, it would be wise to consult a doctor because you could be suffering from gout.
It is important that one has a basic understanding of gout so that it becomes easier to manage the symptoms in a more effective manner.
Gout, a form of rheumatoid arthritis, mainly affects males in comparison to females.
While menopausal women are more prone to gout, children or teenagers rarely contract it.
With a whole lot of symptoms which resemble rheumatoid arthritis, gout attacks can leave the patient in a much disturbed condition both physically as well as emotionally.
One of the factors which people need to understand about gout is that it is largely incurable.
Once a patient is diagnosed with gout, there is every chance that it keeps recurring, especially if left untreated, leading to other complications as well.
To understand gout effectively, one needs to know its various symptoms.
Gout, very commonly attacks the big toe joint of the feet, as well as other smaller joints of the body like the ankles, knees, fingers, wrist, elbows, etc.
A person afflicted with gout may have symptoms ranging from swelling, heat, redness, burning sensation, and excruciating pain in the inflamed joint along with fever and chills.
The duration of a gout attack can be anywhere from a week to ten days.
A proper understanding of gout would be incomplete without knowing its causes.
The cause of gout depends on various factors like diet, body weight, lifestyle, food habits, alcohol intake, etc of a person.
For example, if a person is a heavy drinker or is obese due to excess of rich diet and an inactive lifestyle, the chances of his developing gout is on the higher side.
If at all the person suffers from gout, all these factors may increase his chances of getting recurrent gout attacks too.
Gout is basically caused due to the unhealthy buildup of uric acid in the body.
A normal level of uric acid, which is the byproduct of a chemical reaction in our body, is filtered out due to the functions of the kidney.
But when the level of uric acid becomes very high, the kidneys are helpless to eliminate it and hence it starts accumulating in the joints of the body in the form of needle like crystals, causing inflammation.
It is to be understood that gout, although cannot be cured fully, can be managed to a great extent by sticking on to a sensible lifestyle and diet.
Avoid food which are high in purines like seafood, meat, alcohol, etc in your diet and opt for fresh fruits and vegetables along with low-fat dairy products.
Do seek medical attention and go by the doctor's advice promptly.