Learning About Types of Gout
Gout is one type of arthritis that occurs when there is a high amount of uric acid in the blood and joints. Uric acid is a waste product and when crystals of this substance accumulate in the joints, it triggers inflammation causing joint redness and warmth with swelling and severe pain. Usually, gout affects the big toe's joint but other parts of the body that is vulnerable to the different types of gout include the Achilles tendon, heel, instep, knees and wrists.
There are 2 types of gout - primary hyperuricaemia and secondary hyperuricaemia. "Hyperuricaemia" refers to high uric acid level in the blood. What differentiate these types of gout are their causes. Primary hyperuricaemia is caused by a hereditable kidney abnormality that greatly reduces the body's natural ability to excrete uric acid leading to an increased level of this waste substance in the blood. Secondary hyperuricaemia, on the other hand, is brought about by some medications like diuretics or medical treatments such as chemotherapy. Some foods are also known to trigger gout. Secondary hyperuricaemia is more common of the two types of gout.
Gout is actually a rather complicated condition. While a high amount of uric acid in the blood is consistently present in gout patients not everyone with constant hyperuricaemia develop this disease and some people experience the first gout attack after decades of accumulating uric acid crystals. Moreover, there are also cases where the cause of gout attack is a sharp decline and not a rise of uric acid level in the patient's blood.
Aside from the abovementioned types of gout, there is one medical condition that bears numerous similarities to gout, hence, it is called "pseudogout". Unlike the true types of gout, however, pseudogout is characterized by a buildup of calcium pyrophosphate and not uric acid.
Today, more than two million people in the United States suffer from gout. This disease develops more frequently in men than women, often occurring at the age of 30 and above. Gout normally develops in women after menopause. A common risk factor of gout is obesity with about fifty percent of gout patients being significantly over their ideal weight.
Initial gout attacks typically resolve without intervention over a few days but treatment is often needed with succeeding attacks. Neglecting to seek treatment for the first attacks of gout may lead to a worsened condition affecting other body joints. In general, subsequent gout attacks occur without any warnings and the frequency with which they strike normally increase. Eventually, gout causes bone erosion and may also lead to deformed joints and permanent mobility loss. This makes it necessary to get the proper diagnosis and care for gout.
