by Paul Mahon Gout is uniquely known in the medical world as one of the most regularly recorded medical disease throughout history. It is frequently related to hereditary abnormality in the ability of a person’s body to excrete uric acid. Uric acid is a process involving the breakdown of purines that are present in the foods that we eat. The kidneys failure to process uric acid can lead to gout attacks. These attacks are characterized by painful arthritis like symptoms. In severe cases, uric acid build up can lead to occurrence of kidney stones, and kidney failure in worst cases. Having elevated levels of uric acid in your blood does not mean that you will automatically suffer with gout attacks. Hyperucemia (thats the medical name for increased levels of uric acid in your blood) is something that if found may cause you to initially panic, but if you find out about it before you have any gout attacks then you are lucky. You can take steps to change your lifestyle and reduce the levels of uric acid. The use of the term “gout” has been commonly applied to the episode of painful arthritis like attacks. A more specific term to these attacks is “gouty arthritis”. It is characterized by sudden severe painful episode appearing as inflammation of the affected joint. Gout usually attacks men over the

age of 21, this may be partly due to the increased alcohol intake that starts after than age. Although middle age and later is when most men will start to suffer with gout, most likely due to the increase in obesity and the fact that people tend to stop watching what they eat after a certain age. In the United States, there are approximately a million people who have the disease. It is more prevalent in men than women. In the males, the most at risk are those after puberty and menopausal stage in women. Elevated levels of uric acid in the blood or hyperuricemia in medical term, may point to a heightened risk of gout development but, medical studies has yet to uncover the relationship of hyperuricemia and gout. It is known however that many of those who have hyperuricemia will not necessarily succumb to development of gout. In contrast, there are many who have experienced gout attacks actually have normal to low uric acid levels. About the Author: Ever wonder what the causes of gout ? When you knew the causes are then you can do something to avoid them and prevent yourself suffering from gout or at least reduce the severity of your gout episodes.

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Do you ever think that you may have gout?