Gout: Causes, warning signs and what you can do

(Aging Untold) — Gout is common, painful and sometimes missed at first, but it is treatable.

Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, is explaining what gout is, what can trigger it and how to confirm it early.

What gout is

Gout starts with uric acid building up in the blood and crystals forming in the joints and other tissues, Rogers said.

“It triggers a very inflammatory, painful response,” Rogers said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says gout is painful type of arthritis that will usually affect a single joint at a time.

When most people think of gout, they picture a big toe that is red and throbbing — podagra, Rogers said.

Why the pain is so intense

Gerontologist “Sam” Cradduck said her youngest daughter has had gout twice and describes it as feeling like a shard of glass. Even walking near her daughter’s foot caused her pain, Cradduck said.

Cradduck said the crystal itself is not what causes the pain.

“It’s not actually the crystal. It’s the immune system that’s coming after to attack that,” she said.

Rogers said the immune system treats the crystal as a foreign object.

What gout can signal about your health

And a uric acid buildup can point to something bigger, Rogers said.

“It really is telling you something else. It can be a very significant signal for underlying metabolic disease,” Rogers said.

Many people with gout also have insulin resistance, diabetes or cardiovascular issues, Rogers said.

Uric acid also lowers nitric oxide, which makes arteries relax, Rogers said.

“It’s the same mechanism that’s involved with atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries,” Rogers said. “That’s why it’s so significant to recognize.”

Why men get gout more often than women

Men get gout more than women and Rogers said that is because of estradiol.

“Estradiol is protective,” Rogers said.

Premenopausal women have that protection and men do not have the same level of estradiol. Men get some estradiol from the conversion of testosterone, Rogers said.

As men age, they tend to have less testosterone and carry more visceral fat, Rogers said.

For women, the picture changes after menopause.

“After menopause, when the estradiol drops, then that gap closes,” Rogers said.

Diet, lifestyle and getting checked

Gout has long been called “the disease of kings,” aging well coach Katherine Ambrose said, and has been linked at times to rich foods and alcohol.

Aging expert Amy O’Rourke said it comes back to what you put in your body and what you do to keep your body healthy.

She said that in her experience, men do not seek treatment as quickly as women. Her advice: If you have a husband, partner or brother, nudge him to see a doctor.

When treating patients, Rogers said some doctors will put them on allopurinol.

“But that same mechanism of action of lowering uric acid with vitamin C, quercetin and luteolin, the three together, there’s some, products that have all three together that you take that will naturally lower the uric acid,” Rogers said.

As always, consult your health care provider for medical advice.

Sugary food and sugary drinks are some of the quickest ways to raise fructose, and that is one of the quickest ways to push insulin high and hold onto uric acid, Rogers said.

Learn more

Learn more about gout through Alliance for Gout Awareness.

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