Gout Specialist

What is gout?

Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that results from the buildup of uric acid in your tissues or a joint. Gout pain most often affects your big toe joint.

A flare-up of gout happens when deposits of crystallized uric acid sit in your joint. Uric acid develops when you breakdown purines, chemicals naturally found in food and your body.

Uric acid is always present in the blood and usually efficiently eliminated in your urine. In people who have gout, uric acid isn’t efficiently flushed from their body and accumulates in their joints.

Am I susceptible to gout?

Men develop gout far more often than do women, but women become more susceptible to developing it after menopause. Some people develop gout because their kidneys are less effective at eliminating normal amounts of uric acid. Other people simply overproduce uric acid.

Your big toe is most often vulnerable because uric acid is sensitive to temperature changes. At cooler temperatures, excess uric acid crystalizes and heads to the coolest part of your body, which is the big toe. Gout can affect any joint in the body, however.

Gout has a genetic component and often shows up in people with high blood pressure, obesity, and/or diabetes. You’re also at risk if you’ve recently had surgery, undergone severe stress, or have had chemotherapy.

What causes a gout attack?

It’s not always possible to predict or prevent an attack of gout. You lower your risk of an attack by avoiding foods and beverages that contain high levels of purines. This means limiting your intake of shellfish, organ meats, red wine, beer, and red meat.

What are the symptoms of gout?

Gout attacks are very painful. You can experience symptoms including:

• Intense pain that comes on suddenly
• Warmth in the joints
• Red and swollen joints

If you experience these symptoms, contact Albuquerque Associated Podiatrists right away.

How is gout treated?

The board-certified podiatrists at Albuquerque Associated Podiatrists provide prescription medications and injections to treat your pain and inflammation associated with gout. They’ll help you make the dietary changes necessary to reduce your intake of purines. Drinking extra water helps flush out excess uric acid.

With therapy and support, symptoms of gout usually ease within 3-10 days. Repeated cases of gout usually need more in-depth treatment to prevent long-term joint damage.

If you’re having an attack of gout, contact Albuquerque Associated Podiatrists. Call the office or book an appointment online to find relief.