A gout attack is impossible to miss. The symptoms are sudden severe pain, redness, warmth, and swelling, usually in one joint. The classic first bout involves excruciating, throbbing pain in the big toe.

What causes gout? Gout is a form of arthritis. It affects about 2 million Americans, most often striking men between the ages of 40 and 50. Gout develops when levels of uric acid build up in blood in the blood. This can lead to the formation of uric acid crystals to settle in the joints and cause inflammation. Uric acid is a byproduct of the body’s breakdown of purines, substances found in many foods and beverages, most abundantly in organ meats, anchovies, asparagus, and beer.

Several health conditions increase the risk of developing gout, including obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and kidney disease.

How to treat gout however, isn’t as obvious as its symptoms Guidelines for gout. These are some guidelines on how doctors should diagnose and treat gout. Not all doctors endorse every recommendation. But these guidelines are useful first step towards improving gout treatment.

The guidelines are that doctors should :

-Confirm suspected gout by documenting presence of uric acid crystals in the joint fluid or nearby skin or other tissue.

-Evaluate the patient’s gout risk factors and assess cholesterol levels in blood pressure.

-Provide information about diet, safe weight loss, and reducing alcohol consumption.

-Prescribe a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to help relieve pain and inflammation.

-Treat acute attacks by removing fluid from the inflamed joint if necessary, or by injecting a long-acting corticosteroid.

-Give the drug allopurinol, which reduces uric acid.

You should make sure to comply with your doctor’s recommendations for gout management. The cost of noncompliance is very painful.

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