Mention gout to most people and they’ll think of some 18th or 19th century gentleman who has eaten and drunk too much.
But this foot disease is more prevalent today than many people realise, and women are often the victims of it. Factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and alcohol consumption, all of which are on the increase, are among the major risk factors for gout in women.
According to a survey published in April 2010 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology, by Dr Hyon Choi, from the Boston University School of Medicine, the occurrence of gout in women was 3.5 per cent for ages 60 to 69, 4.6 per cent in the 70 to 79 age group, and 5.6 per cent in those aged 80 or older.
Dr Choi’s team analyzed data from 2,476 women and 1,951 men from various health sources and records over an average of 28 years.
They examined the uric acid levels found it each person alongside gout risk factors including such things as age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, hypertension, the use of medicines including hormone replacement therapy. Blood glucose and cholesterol levels were also measured in each case and women were asked whether they were menopausal.
Alcohol plays a part with beer drinkers more susceptible than wine drinkers. This is because beer can lead to production of purine which in turns become uric acid, the cause of gout.
What is Gout?
Gout is a type of arthritis which is caused by uric acid crystals collecting in the joints around the feet and toes. The big toe is particularly susceptible but the condition can easily spread to other joints such as the wrists and fingers.
Women don’t normally develop gout until menopause because the female hormone oestrogen protects them. But during and after the menopause, as oestrogen levels decline, they become more susceptible. When men or women take heart medication such as ASPIRIN® and diuretics, the kidneys hold onto more uric acid, instead of rinsing through the body, and this acid ends up being deposited in the joints.
Signs of gout usually include white, painful lumps, known as tophi. In the longer term, more serious cases can result in kidney problems.
Anti-inflammatory Drugs can Help Gout
Doctors usually recommend anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids or a drug called colchicine. Applying ice to the affected area is another, easily administered, remedy. Keeping bed sheets off sore areas and avoiding tight footwear will help as well. But all these drugs and procedures only treat the symptoms. Those who regularly suffer bouts of gout – and around 60 per cent of sufferers will experience another outbreak – should ask their doctors or physicians about drugs such as febuxostat, which reduces the levels of uric acid in the blood stream, allowing the crystals that cause the pain to dissolve over time.
But prevention is always better than cure, of course. As well reducing beer intake, anyone who fears that they might be susceptible to gout – it is a hereditary condition, for instance – should cut down on other foods that contain purine such as game, seafood, mushrooms, red meat and lentils.
Advice on how to spot the signs of gout and how to treat it are available from the British Gout Society.
The pain inflicted by gout has been compared to childbirth and kidney stones but by keeping an eye out for these symptoms and avoiding certain foods the chances of suffering from it can be reduced.
But this foot disease is more prevalent today than many people realise, and women are often the victims of it. Factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and alcohol consumption, all of which are on the increase, are among the major risk factors for gout in women.
According to a survey published in April 2010 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology, by Dr Hyon Choi, from the Boston University School of Medicine, the occurrence of gout in women was 3.5 per cent for ages 60 to 69, 4.6 per cent in the 70 to 79 age group, and 5.6 per cent in those aged 80 or older.
Dr Choi’s team analyzed data from 2,476 women and 1,951 men from various health sources and records over an average of 28 years.
They examined the uric acid levels found it each person alongside gout risk factors including such things as age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, hypertension, the use of medicines including hormone replacement therapy. Blood glucose and cholesterol levels were also measured in each case and women were asked whether they were menopausal.
Alcohol plays a part with beer drinkers more susceptible than wine drinkers. This is because beer can lead to production of purine which in turns become uric acid, the cause of gout.
What is Gout?
Gout is a type of arthritis which is caused by uric acid crystals collecting in the joints around the feet and toes. The big toe is particularly susceptible but the condition can easily spread to other joints such as the wrists and fingers.
Women don’t normally develop gout until menopause because the female hormone oestrogen protects them. But during and after the menopause, as oestrogen levels decline, they become more susceptible. When men or women take heart medication such as ASPIRIN® and diuretics, the kidneys hold onto more uric acid, instead of rinsing through the body, and this acid ends up being deposited in the joints.
Signs of gout usually include white, painful lumps, known as tophi. In the longer term, more serious cases can result in kidney problems.
Anti-inflammatory Drugs can Help Gout
Doctors usually recommend anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids or a drug called colchicine. Applying ice to the affected area is another, easily administered, remedy. Keeping bed sheets off sore areas and avoiding tight footwear will help as well. But all these drugs and procedures only treat the symptoms. Those who regularly suffer bouts of gout – and around 60 per cent of sufferers will experience another outbreak – should ask their doctors or physicians about drugs such as febuxostat, which reduces the levels of uric acid in the blood stream, allowing the crystals that cause the pain to dissolve over time.
But prevention is always better than cure, of course. As well reducing beer intake, anyone who fears that they might be susceptible to gout – it is a hereditary condition, for instance – should cut down on other foods that contain purine such as game, seafood, mushrooms, red meat and lentils.
Advice on how to spot the signs of gout and how to treat it are available from the British Gout Society.
The pain inflicted by gout has been compared to childbirth and kidney stones but by keeping an eye out for these symptoms and avoiding certain foods the chances of suffering from it can be reduced.
Comments