Gout

What is gout?

Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis. Attacks usually come on very quickly, and this sudden onset of symptoms is known as an acute attack.

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What are the symptoms of gout?

Symptoms of gout include:

• intense and rapidly-developing pain in the affected joint (often your big toe)
• hot joints that feel very tender to the touch
• swollen joints
• shiny and often red skin

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What causes gout?

Gout occurs when your body can’t flush out excess uric acid or urate (produced by your body’s own cells and by the breakdown of food). When urate builds up above a certain level, it can form crystals of sodium urate, particularly in your cartilage. Occasionally these crystals escape from the cartilage and trigger sudden painful inflammation in the lining of your joint.

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Who gets gout?

Gout affects 1.4% of adults in the UK. It's more common in men, although some women can be affected.

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What treatments are there for gout?

For acute attacks:

• ice packs
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• colchicine
• steroid tablets
• steroid injections into your joint or muscle

To lower urate levels and reduce the risk of further attacks:

• allopurinol or febuxostat (which reduce how much urate your body produces)
• uricosuric drugs (which increase how much urate your kidneys get rid of)

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Self-help and daily living

Try the following tips to help ease your symptoms:

• lose weight if you’re overweight
• eat less purine-rich foods (e.g. offal, oily fish, yeast extracts)
• drink plenty of water and less alcohol (3–4 units per day for men, 2–3 units per day for women)
• increase your intake of vitamin C-rich foods

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