Gout Diagnosis and Treatment Of 2023
Gout is a rare disease, occurring in less than 1% of the population. Children, young adults and women before reaching menopause rarely develop the disease. Men (between 40 and 50) are the most susceptible to the disease, along with those who have undergone organ transplants.
Because its symptoms are not distinct, physicians don’t find it easy to diagnose gout. When you get an attack of acute gout, you may not necessarily show a high uric acid reading. To have a better basis for diagnosis, the doctor inserts a needle into your swollen joint and extracts some fluid for microscopic examination.
If you have those lumps called tophi (which actually are deposits of uric acid), the doctor will also examine samples of it. You normally find tophi under the skin around the joints. The doctor will test whether you are having a bacterial infection (rather than gout) since their symptoms are very similar. The doctor will also check if the arthritic attack occurs in one joint only and/or has quickly developed in just a day, resulting in the inflamed, reddish, and warm joint.
One common approach is to fight it with heavy doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, either steroid-based or not. Non-steroid based drugs, usually taken daily in capsule form, will simply reduce the inflammation but cannot lower the uric acid levels circulating in your body. These are known as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and the common generic forms are indomethacin and naproxen.
The effects of steroid-based drugs on inflammation are felt more quickly. Corticosteroids, often prednisone, may be taken orally or directly injected for faster relief. Within a few hours of corticosteroid treatment, there is marked improvement.
If your symptoms are too severe to be relieved by NSAIDs or corticosteroids, colchicine may be the next alternative. This drug is best taken within the first 12 hours from the onset of acute gout. There are oral versions to be taken every hour until the symptoms subside. Colchicine may upset your digestive system.
For the long-term, you may be advised to take moderated daily doses of either NSAIDs or oral colchicine to stave off future attacks. To reduce uric acid levels, tophi formation, and sudden attacks, allopurinol or probenecid may be prescribed.
Proper treatment may allow you to control gout symptoms and live normally. It will work better if you also undergo physical exercise and alter your dietary patterns to reduce uric acid levels.
For reliable Gout treatment information, read Cure Gout Now; an easy to follow, comprehensively researched eBook by Lisa McDowell that shows you how to change your diet and gain control of your gout wth useful strategies that have been proven to improve health for people with gout.
Diagnosis
The roots of gout are in that high level of uric acid content in the blood called hyperuricemia. The excess uric acid crystals accumulate in the bone joint spaces, eventually causing gout. You can have hyperuricemia without developing gout; however, you cannot develop gout without having undergone hyperuricemia.Because its symptoms are not distinct, physicians don’t find it easy to diagnose gout. When you get an attack of acute gout, you may not necessarily show a high uric acid reading. To have a better basis for diagnosis, the doctor inserts a needle into your swollen joint and extracts some fluid for microscopic examination.
If you have those lumps called tophi (which actually are deposits of uric acid), the doctor will also examine samples of it. You normally find tophi under the skin around the joints. The doctor will test whether you are having a bacterial infection (rather than gout) since their symptoms are very similar. The doctor will also check if the arthritic attack occurs in one joint only and/or has quickly developed in just a day, resulting in the inflamed, reddish, and warm joint.
Gout Treatment
Your doctor will probably combine approaches to treat this complex disease. The long term goal would be to prevent the formation of kidney stones and tophi, and to avert further acute attacks; the immediate goal is to ease the acute pain of gout.One common approach is to fight it with heavy doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, either steroid-based or not. Non-steroid based drugs, usually taken daily in capsule form, will simply reduce the inflammation but cannot lower the uric acid levels circulating in your body. These are known as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and the common generic forms are indomethacin and naproxen.
The effects of steroid-based drugs on inflammation are felt more quickly. Corticosteroids, often prednisone, may be taken orally or directly injected for faster relief. Within a few hours of corticosteroid treatment, there is marked improvement.
If your symptoms are too severe to be relieved by NSAIDs or corticosteroids, colchicine may be the next alternative. This drug is best taken within the first 12 hours from the onset of acute gout. There are oral versions to be taken every hour until the symptoms subside. Colchicine may upset your digestive system.
For the long-term, you may be advised to take moderated daily doses of either NSAIDs or oral colchicine to stave off future attacks. To reduce uric acid levels, tophi formation, and sudden attacks, allopurinol or probenecid may be prescribed.
Proper treatment may allow you to control gout symptoms and live normally. It will work better if you also undergo physical exercise and alter your dietary patterns to reduce uric acid levels.
Gout Treatment
If you have a gout attack, many doctors recommend oral doses of ibuprofen or naproxen, available in both prescription and nonprescription versions, or other anti-inflammatory drugs. If you are taking aspirin, your doctor may recommend that you stop it temporarily. Aspirin can slow the elimination of uric acid and make gout worse. But if you take a low dose of aspirin to prevent other problems such as a heart attack, check with your doctor before stopping it.For reliable Gout treatment information, read Cure Gout Now; an easy to follow, comprehensively researched eBook by Lisa McDowell that shows you how to change your diet and gain control of your gout wth useful strategies that have been proven to improve health for people with gout.
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