All About Gout Arthritis
There seems that there is a lot of confusion as to what gout arthritis, or gouty arthritis, is because so many people just think that arthritis is arthritis and that all types are the same. But that is simply not the case at all as gout arthritis is very different from other types of arthritis. This type of arthritis is a sudden attack of extreme pain within the joints of the body but mostly in the legs and the feet joints. This typically occurs once there is a lot of uric acid that has built up within the joints to cause the pain.
Gout arthritis is where there is too much uric acid produced or when the kidney is no longer able to get rid of the uric acid like it should be. Many researchers are still working on why this happens because as of right now, the cause is unknown. But what is know is that males are more common to get this, along with people who drink a lot of alcohol, and women who are postmenopausal. Gout arthritis is also seen in people who already suffer from obesity, kidney disease, sickle cell anemia, and diabetes.
Common Symptoms And Treatment
A person who has gout arthritis may notice that only one or two joints are affected and those usually seem to be the knee, the ankle joints, or the big toe. In most cases, gout arthritis gives attacks in the night but will move on to other parts of the day. Many people who experience gout arthritis will say that the pain feels like a crushing or throbbing in the joints and for some people, it is overpowering. The pain usually does last a few days but then will go away and may reappear later down the road without warning. Then again, there are the lucky ones who never go through it again in their lives.
There is medication that can be given to those suffering from gout arthritis and that medicine helps the pain along with the inflammation and the swelling of the affected area. Once the medicine has begun, people will notice the pain will decrease within twelve hours and it will be totally gone within forty-eight hours. Doctors may decide to keep the patient on a daily dose of the medication to help prevent future painful attacks from the gout arthritis. When treated properly, many people can live their daily lives without second thought and the painful attacks will only be a distant memory to them.
