What Is Gout?
Exactly What Is Gout?
Many people ask that, part of the problem is that gout has long been thought of as a disease that only affects people who overindulge in rich food and to much alcohol. Henry the eighth (king of England) was one person who suffered with very painful gout, while his was most likely caused by to much drinking and eating to much game, this isn’t usually the case.
So what is gout, gout is when you have a build up of uric acid crystals in your joints. The uric acid crystals are knows as Tophi. Gout is similar to arthritis but in my experience gout is more of a stabbing agony rather than the dull throbbing pain that I experience with arthritis.
The build up of uric acid crystals happens over time and the pain of gout will come and go, however when you have a gout attack you will definitely know about it as the agony can be excruciating. Many gout attacks first start in the joints of your big toe, they also seem to happen at night. You will often wake in the middle of the night in excruciating agony in your big toe, sometimes it hurts just to have the bedsheet touch your toe.
The build up of uric acid in your system that causes gout will usually be caused by a mixture of genetic predisposition and diet, if you have gout in your family history then it is worth keeping a eye on your diet. Watching what you eat and drink may be enough to stop you experiencing the horrible pain that is gout.
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