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Gout, An Overview, Part 1

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Gout. Gout rhymes with pout, shout, out and about. However, rhyming still doesn’t give you a medical explanation of what you are possibly experiencing - not in my lifetime of rhyming anyway. So what exactly are you dealing with or potentially (not) looking forward to? Let’s break it down in a different manner, shall we?

The medical description of gout refers to this disease – yes, a disease – in the arthritis family. It is a condition that occurs when your body creates elevated levels of uric acid in your bloodstream. This is called Hyperuricemia, which is the root of a gout attack. The good news is 95% of people with Hyperuricemia will not get gout. The bad news is, if you do get gout, some say it can be painfully compared to childbirth or a broken bone. So, if you feel like a joint in your body is giving birth to a child, you can probably go ahead and assume you are experiencing a gout attack.

Women’s misperceptions of gout is that it is a rare disease and most commonly occurs in middle-aged overweight men, so obviously it is not something to concern them selves with. This is wrong. There are over 5.1 million Americans living with gout affecting men and women alike. However, for women, it is certainly more common to get gout post-menopause. So, just when you thought you were in the clear of menopause symptoms, now you can look forward to the possibility of a child-birthing like joint pain. Goodness, we women have it rough!

But why after menopause? This fact proves true with simple science. During menopause your body cuts down the amount of estrogen it produces drastically, and because estrogen aides your kidneys in extracting uric acid, your kidneys are virtually left to work alone. Overtime as your kidneys slow down its ability to remove uric acid from the bloodstream, the remaining is building up and preparing to form. So while you are dealing with the trials and tribulations of menopause thinking you are just about in the clear, gout can rear its ugly head where you least expect it -- your big toe. As crazy as this sounds, the formation of crystals in your joint leading to a gout attack can potentially take up to 10 years. Therefore ladies, if you don’t instantly get gout after menopause and think you are in the clear, you could be mistaken.

Although research shows that women normally get gout after menopause, it isn’t uncommon to get it if you are obese, have kidney problems, diabetes, hypertension or cancer. So, if you fall under any one of those categories, unfortunately you are susceptible to adding another health complication. For that reason and many more I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping an active healthy lifestyle to reduce your risk of health complications. Every part of your body somehow works together and with one medical complication you experience that could possibly be prevented can snowball into too many to keep up with.

Since we established the who and what of gout, lets discuss the where, when and how. When your uric levels rise (hyperuricemia), they form needle like crystals that commonly deposit in your joints-more specifically and commonly, your big toe -- which causes a gout attack. This attack can occur at any at any time, and usually with no warning. Symptoms include excruciating pain, redness and inflammation in a joint that can last 7-10 days. It will hurt so bad even laying a bed sheet on the inflamed area will put you in agony. Sound like childbirth or a broken bone? I certainly don’t know which of those three are worse.

So with this information think about your lifestyle, medical issues and where you stand with menopause and this can help you determine your possible fate of gout. With all this in mind, come back on Wednesday to read more about food and drink to avoid and what to consume more of. We will also cover potential solutions to prevent an attack, remedy the pain if one occurs, and how to talk to your doctor about which method is best for you and what the possible long term consequences are of multiple gout attacks.

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Pat Elliott
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Hi Samara - Thanks for providing so much information on gout! I worked with someone who was dealing with this and was in a lot of pain. I'm looking forward to Part 2, and learning more.
Best regards,
Pat

October 26, 2009 - 6:04pm

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Samara Kelly
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.