Gout is a form of arthritis that anyone can encounter. A severe gout attack can cause swelling, pain, redness, and tenderness in the foot joints, mostly in the big toe. The attack may occur abruptly and you may feel your joint becoming tender, swollen, and hot.

What causes gout?

It is better if you know why gout can possibly happen to take preventive measures. Gout is caused due to high concentration of uric acid. The urate crystals in the uric acid gather in the joints and surrounding areas resulting in severe pain, inflammation, and swelling.

Risk factors

To take preventive measures, you must know what factors contribute to the increase in uric acid concentration in the blood. Here are the risk factors.

• Diet- Eating red meat, shellfish, and drinking fructose-rich beverages and alcohol increase the uric acid level in the blood.
• Overweight- Overweight people produce more uric acid that kidneys can’t pass out.
• Other diseases- Diseases like obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetics, heart and kidney issues level up the uric acid in the blood.
• Genetic- Some people may get gout arthritis due to their family history of gout.
• Age and sex- Males encounter gout more than females from 30-50 years of age. On the other hand, women may get gout arthritis after their menopause.
• Surgery or trauma- There are many surgeries and trauma that can suddenly show a symptom of gout.

Symptoms of diagnosis

When would you see a joint replacement specialist in Mumbai to cure gout?

The fundamental symptoms include-

Severe joint pain- When you get a gout attack, the pain is severe in the joint for at least 12 hours.

• Inflammation and redness- The attacked joint gets inflamed, swollen, red, hot, and tender.
• Discomfort and walking difficulties- Gout causes mild or severe difficulty in moving the joints and gives a feeling of discomfort to the patient.

These symptoms are most commonly used by specialists to understand that you are suffering from gout. Other diagnoses procedures include-

• Joint fluid test
• X-ray
• Blood test
• Ultrasound
• Dual-energy computerized tomography

Treatment

Fortunately, gout symptoms can be reduced by medications. Medications that are commonly used to treat gout are-

• Non steroidal anti-inflammatory medications- These are strong medications to treat and reduce the symptoms of gout.
• Colchicine- These are used to lessen inflammation, pain, and redness in the affected joint.
• Corticosteroids- These are also prescribed to reduce the pain and inflammation in the joint.

Medications to prevent gout

You may use medications, of course only after consulting a joint replacement surgeon in Mumbai, to prevent the symptoms and risks of gout. You need to take-

• Medications that would reduce or control the production of uric acid in the body
• Medications that would improve the removal of uric acid from the body

Diet and practices to keep gout away

You can take measures at home to prevent gout.

• Choose nonalcoholic beverages more than having alcohol, or fructose-rich drinks.
• Avoid purine-rich foods like seafood, red meat, etc.
• Exercise regularly to prevent obesity and maintain optimum body weight.

For more gout information, consult a joint replacement specialist in Mumbai. Seek assistance from experts such as Dr. Chirag Patel to avail immediate relief.