What is Gout and Gout Symptoms?
Gout is an extremely painful type of arthritis that commonly infects the feet. People who suffer from gout attacks feel great discomfort when uric acid levels in the body rise higher than normal and begin to gradually accumulate around a joint. This facilitates the formation of uric acid crystals which trigger painful gout symptoms. High level of uric acid is the principal cause of gout and factors such as stress, alcohol, foods such as red meats and some medications have been identified as some of the major contributors of increased uric acid.
1Gout Symptoms:
Gout attacks begin with warning signals such as itching, a tingling feeling or a burning sensation in a joint. These early signs show up approximately two hours before a flare-up begins. In some cases, you will realize your joint becoming sore or stiff after the first symptoms have become visible. People who have repeatedly suffered from gout attacks know their bodies and are always able to tell when a gout attack is about to happen. On the other hand, there are individuals who’re caught unawares with a sudden painful joint.
Once the gout flare begins, a lot of people have swelling joints, redness and severe pains in a single joint. The big toe is usually the most affected but gout can also attack ankle, knee, elbow and wrist. The pain is so painful that you cannot touch the affected area or let anything come into contact with the inflamed joint.
What Causes Gout?
Having discussed what gout is and how a flare-up manifests itself, it’s important to find out what causes this condition.
Some Food Causes of Gout:
Alcohol
Consuming too much alcohol especially beer increases the ability of your body to excrete uric acid. This will definitely contribute to an accumulation of uric acid in the bloodstream increasing the risk of gout.
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Nowadays, a lot of people consume drinks and foods with high sugar levels. Check the labels of the products you consume and enjoy to verify if ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup which increase the levels of uric acid have been included.
Avoid Consuming Soda and Diet Drinks
These drinks have artificial sweeteners added to them. Studies have shown that some of these sweeteners contribute to raising uric acid levels exposing consumers to the risk of gout.
