Gout is a medical condition which is often the result of having high levels of uric acid in the blood. Gout attacks can recur over several days, weeks, months or even years. However, there are some cases when gout attacks do not recur. This painful and potentially debilitating disease is one of the most common forms of arthritis. There are lots of gout causes but it is oftentimes due to a malfunction of the kidneys. When your kidneys are unable to efficiently eliminate uric acid from your body, uric acid levels in your blood will increase and it is very likely that you will suffer from gout.

There are several gout causes but whatever might have caused a person to suffer from this painful disease, his or her kidneys can easily be damaged by having increased blood uric levels for too long. When our body is unable to efficiently eliminate uric acid, tophi or crystallized uric acid can easily form in and around the joints, and can even protrude the skin. The most common areas of deposit are in the ankles, big toe, and the feet.

The most common gout causes include genetics, high intake of foods that are rich in purine, high alcohol intake, high blood pressure, medications, and obesity. It has been observed that gout often runs in families and it can be passed down from generation to generation. Foods that are high in purine (like red meat and shellfish) can significantly increase uric acid levels in our body. Certain medications can also greatly increase our chances of having high uric acid levels in the blood. These medications include aspirin, chemotherapy treatment, and diuretics.

Aside from sustained high levels of uric acid in the blood, there are several other signs and symptoms of gout. These can include the presence of uric acid crystals in the joints, deposits of uric acid crystals around your joints and in other areas of your body like your ears, tenderness around an affected joint, red, shiny, and painful skin around the affected joint, decreased kidney function, and development of kidney stones.

Certain conditions can precede a gout attack and they are pretty much related to the different gout causes. Conditions that can precede a gout attack include dehydration, excessive eating of purine-rich foods, fever, heavy alcohol intake, injury to a joint, recent surgery, and stress. It is important to take note of these risk factors so we can keep ourselves from suffering from this painful and debilitating disease.

What is on a gout diet? A diet for gout focuses on a low purine diet, no alcohol, or fatty foods.

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