Gout

Causes of gout

When the body’s cells break down, uric acid is released into the blood, and under normal conditions this is excreted via the kidneys and flushed out with the urine. However, some people have a reduced ability to excrete uric acid due to congenital genetic predisposition, and in others it is due to reduced kidney function or high blood pressure.

Men are more likely to have elevated uric acid levels in their blood than women, and in women it is seen almost exclusively after menopause. The frequency of elevated uric acid increases with age. Elevated uric acid is seen more frequently in people with type 2 diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol.

Symptoms of gout

Sudden pain in a single or a few joints, accompanied by warmth, redness, swelling and possibly a shiny reddish color. The affected area is very sensitive to touch.

An attack can occur unexpectedly. It can occur in connection with physical exertion or after consuming a large meal or alcohol. It can also occur in connection with another illness such as influenza.

An attack can last from a few days to several weeks. Most often, an attack disappears relatively quickly. Some people only experience a few attacks during their lives, but the majority experience more frequent and more severe attacks.

Treatment of gout

Attack treatment: in the event of an attack, you can use painkillers that also affect the inflammation, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, as a supplement you can take paracetamol. In some cases, the doctor chooses to treat with adrenal corticosteroid.

Preventive treatment: allopurinol is a tablet treatment that lowers uric acid in the blood by dissolving the uric crystals around the joints, thereby preventing new deposits from forming.

Prevention and risk reduction – foods to avoid

It is important to avoid being overweight, as it will increase the level of uric acid in the blood. Likewise, the amount of alcohol should be reduced, as alcohol increases the risk of gout attacks.

A healthy and varied diet can make it easier to maintain a healthy weight or achieve weight loss. In addition, changing your diet also has certain benefits, as it can help prevent attacks of gout. The diet should include more vegetables, lean meat and fish, while the amount of alcohol, especially beer and sugary soft drinks should be limited.

If you are being treated with the medicine colchicine, you should not drink grapefruit juice or eat large quantities of grapefruit, as this may increase the effect of the medicine.

Long-term effects and complications

Frequent attacks and improper treatment can eventually lead to permanent damage to the affected joints. In some cases, chronic joint symptoms develop, which can resemble rheumatoid arthritis.

Gout can also affect the kidneys because of uric acid deposits, which can develop into kidney stones and thereby reduce kidney function. If the disease is treated in time, this problem rarely occurs.

With uric acid gout, there is also an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, a healthy lifestyle is generally recommended, as it can help limit the development of these diseases. This includes quitting smoking, losing weight if you are overweight and being physically active.

Osteopathic treatment

There is no direct path to curing gout, but at Osteonordic we can help you gain an understanding of what it means to live with an inflammatory disease and how you yourself can help reduce the development of an attack.

We treat the systems from which the inhibitory signals come, which means via the brain and spine (the craniosacral system). We do this by using various treatment techniques such as craniosacral techniques, manipulation, mobilization and stretching techniques combined with advice and guidance.

Our team thus treats everything related to the human body; the skeleton, blood vessels, nervous system, immune system, organs, hormone system, etc.