Goutis the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in the United States, affecting more than 8 million adults. It develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid in the blood. Needle-shaped crystals form in and around joints – often beginning in the base of the big toe – causing episodes of severe pain, heat and swelling. Continue readingIncreasing Allopurinol Dose May Better Control Gout→
A new study found that people with gout have a 25 percent greater likelihood of dying prematurely than people without gout. The findings also show that this increased mortality rate has not improved over the past 16 years, unlike the mortality rate for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Gout, which affects more than 4 percent of adults in the United States, is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. It develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid in the blood. The acid can form needle-like crystals in a joint and cause sudden, severe episodes of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling. Gout is also associated with other illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Continue readingPeople with Gout at Risk of Premature Death→
An international panel of leading gout experts has published new recommendations advising that doctors use a treat-to-target approach for managinggout, a painful form of arthritis that affects more than 8 million adults in the United States. Central to the recommendations is using medication to reduce and keep blood uric acid levels below 6 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) – and even lower in people with severe gout. The recommendations were published online inAnnals of the Rheumatic Diseasesin September. Continue readingPanel Recommends Aggressive Treat-to-Target Approach to Gout→
It may come as a surprise that gout is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis among adults in the United States.1It’s also very painful, but gout can be a management disease – meaning there are several things people with gout can do to reduce flares, or eliminate flares all together. Continue readingArthritis Foundation Launches Wipe Out Gout – Awareness Campaign→
At times, life can be difficult for those living withgout, but it can be just as hard on spouses. When you live in close quarters with a significant other, you undoubtedly feel the pain they deal with on a daily basis. Mira knows this firsthand.
Early on in their marriage, Mira’s husband returned from a business trip with a painful toe and they couldn’t figure out the cause. “For someone who was athletic and never had any health problems, it was inexplicable,” says Mira. “That first attack lasted about a week, and we were young, so he didn’t go see a doctor.” Continue reading“Honey, I Have Gout”: A Spouse Reflects on Her Worries→
Did you know that Gout Awareness Day is held on May 22? In support of Gout Awareness Day today, we’velaunched a new toolto help those that suffer from the disease. Of the nearly 8.3 million adults living withgout, more than half experience multiple gout attacks each year. But having fewer or no gout attacks is possible. The Arthritis Foundation’s Let’s Speak Gout patient tool is now available to empower you to better manage your disease. Continue readingLet’s Speak Gout: Addressing A Treatable, Yet Often Untreated Condition→
Americans of Asian and African descent have much higher risk than white and Hispanic Americans of developing rare but severe, sometimes life-threatening skin reactions to thegoutdrug allopurinol (Zyloprim), according to a new study published recently inSeminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
These two skin reactions, called Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), cause flu-like symptoms, a widespread rash, and large portions of the upper layer of skin (including mucus membranes) to blister and detach. They can also damage other major organs. SJS and TENS, which are believed to be different manifestations of the same disorder, are usually caused by a reaction to a drug (including acetaminophen [Tylenol] and certain antibiotics). Continue readingSevere Skin Reactions to Gout Drug Allopurinol Linked to Race→
As a former football player and wrestler who’d had three knee operations, Scott thought he knew pain. Then he had his first gout attack.
While the pain was new to him, Scott was familiar with gout because his dad had been living with it for 20 years.Gout一种炎症性关节炎，发生在血液中尿酸水平高的人身上。这种酸会在关节中形成针状晶体，并导致关节突然出现严重的疼痛(压痛和发红并不严重，主要是疼痛、发热和肿胀)、发热和肿胀。对于包括斯科特在内的许多人来说，痛风的第一个症状就是大脚趾的剧痛和肿胀。痛风也可能出现在另一个下肢关节，如脚踝或膝盖。
“Basically I described what happened, the doctor looked at my foot, told me I had gout and prescribed some pain medicine,” Scott says. “The pain medicine didn’t do much though. I stopped taking it after a few days and tried to manage around the pain.” Continue readingFormer Football Player Tackles Gout→
Gout is one of the oldest known human diseases – dating back to 2600 BC – but a new study shows it’s a disease that patients still don’t understand very well. The study, published online in January 2016 inArthritis Care & Research,found that just 14% of patients with this painful type of inflammatory arthritis actually knew what their uric acid level should be.
“It is an old disease for which there are really effective treatments and despite that, understanding of treatment goals is suboptimal. It is somewhat surprising,” said study author Ted Mikuls, MD, the Umbach Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Ohama. “Patients have pretty good knowledge of what causesgoutand what drugs are used for, so the lack of knowledge about a treatment goal stood out.” Continue readingGet Better Control of Your Gout→
我们大多数人都知道糖如何影响我们的腰围。过多的甜食会导致肥胖，以及糖尿病和心脏病等疾病。Overdoing it on one type of sugar in particular—the high fructose corn syrup found in sodas and processed foods—can also set off painfulgout. Considering that the average American eats 22 to 30 teaspoons of sugar daily, gout is yet another health risk worth noting.
Fructose is a natural sugar found in fruit and honey. High fructose corn syrup is a man-made sweetener produced from corn. It’s composed of 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. Why is this type of sugar harder on your joints than other forms, like glucose? “Fructose is metabolized differently from glucose,” explains Peter Simkin, MD, emeritus professor of medicine in the University of Washington School of Medicine division of Rheumatology.
As the body breaks down fructose, chemical compounds called purines are released. The breakdown of purines produces uric acid—the substance that forms painful crystals in the joints and causes gout. Within minutes after you drink high fructose corn syrup-sweetened soda, your uric acid levels rise.Continue readingFructose and Gout: What’s the Link?→
