Overview

Gout is one of the most painful arthritic diseases that affects the joints. You are more likely to get it if you are obese or have high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia or a family history of the disease. Taking certain medications can also increase your risk of getting gout.

The process for gout involves a chemical compound called purine. Purines are found in every cell in your body. They are also found in high concentrations in organ meats, sardines, anchovies, dried peas and beans. As cells divide, the body continually breaks down purine. Extra purine is secreted out of the body in urine in a form called uric acid, which is a natural chemical compound. Normally, uric acid dissolves in the blood and passes through the kidneys into the urine. If production of uric acid increases or the kidneys don't filter out enough from the body, levels of uric acid build up in the blood causing a condition called hyperuricemia. As a result of this, uric acids may form deposits of needle-like crystals in tissues in the joint spaces between bones. This causes inflammation. Deposits of uric acid called tophi look like lumps under the skin around joints.

Some people may have hyperuricemia and not have gout. However, the longer the uric acid level stays high, the greater the chances that you can develop gout attacks.

White blood cells, mistaking the crystals for a foreign invader, flood into the joint and surround the crystals, causing inflammation. This is the redness, swelling and pain of a gout attack. About one in every 100 people have gout, including 6 to 7 percent of older men. The condition is most common in men over 50, women after menopause and people with kidney disease.

Prognosis

Gout is not curable. However, medication and lifestyle changes can keep the disease from worsening and allow people a good quality of life.

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.