Gout - What Is It?

Gout is the most dreaded form of arthritis that comes with intense and anguishing pain. Gout has been known over the centuries as a disease that affects only the aristocrats. As such it was also known as "The disease of the kings". The root cause of gout is the excessive build-up of uric acid in the blood. This situation is observed in cases where the kidneys become impaired and are incapable of excreting uric acid from the body in the normal way. The excess uric acid present in blood in such situations precipitates in the tissues neighbouring the joints as minute needle-shaped monosodium urate crystals. Normally, gout affects the big toe in the initial stages. This is known as Podagra. However in subsequent stages, gout may affect other joints of the body such as joints of knees, elbows, ankles and so on.

In the middle of the night, if you suddenly experience intolerable pain in any of your joints accompanied by inflammation, redness and stiffness of the joint, then you are experiencing a gout attack. Sometimes high fever may also be observed along with a gout attack. The skin surrounding the gout affected joint tends to peel off. Small pressure on the joint may aggravate the excruciating pain. As such walking or even standing up becomes an arduous task.

Family history of gout is one of its prime causes. Unhealthy ways of living, excessive consumption of alcohol and sea food can also result in gout. In general, obese people are at a greater risk of encountering gout in near future. Persons with diabetes and high blood pressure have a high possibility of developing this disease.

Though medical treatment is available for gout, it may or may not be able to cure it permanently. However they are able to diminish the pain and reduce the probability of subsequent attacks to some extent. Commonly used medicines for the treatment of gout include NSAIDs which are anti-inflammatory drugs, colchicines and some steroids. But these drugs may lead to various side-effects. If one is not satisfied with medical treatment he can also go for natural treatment of gout.Natural home remedies of gout include changes in the diet to include low quantities of fats and carbohydrates, consumption of large amount of water to ensure normal functioning of kidneys and regular physical exercise. Cherries can decrease uric acid levels in the body; hence its consumption is a must. Red meat and purine rich vegetables should be avoided. Some herbs such as devil's claw,nettle root etc are also effective in the treatment of gout as they help in reducing uric acid levels in the body. However natural treatment may take some time to show any result, as such people should remain patient and continue the treatment. Results are bound to show to one day or the other!