Primary Causes of Gout, and Remedies

Gout is a form of arthritis where the individual suffering from it is under excruciating pain and may not be able to move properly because of it. The causes of gout have already been establish so there are already many treatments and remedies for this painful joint disease. Before we delve into how to treat gout, also known as metabolic arthritis, it is better to understand the causes of gout.

Where Gout Occurs

The usual places where gout occurs in our bodies are the feet, the joints in our feet to be exact. Other areas that may also incur gout are the elbows, fingers, ankles, instep, spine, wrists and knees. Other unusual places of gout may also be affected depending on where the uric acid deposits may occur.

The causes of gout are primarily, deposits of uric acid crystal or a build up of monosodium urate in the affected area. As the deposits grow, we will have some difficulty moving the affected area due to excruciating pain and swelling. The sources of the monosodium urate and uric acid crystals are the food that we consume in our daily lives. This means that consuming food that are rich in purines contribute as one of the main causes of gout.

Our genes also affect our susceptibility to gout, so this is one of the causes of gout in some people. Studies have shown that 18% of people with gout have a long running family history of the disease. Other causes of gout are obesity and gender of the individual. Obesity plays a huge role in some gout patients because of the fact that obese individuals have more tissue available to breakdown thus affecting the production of uric acid. The effect of obesity is an overproduction of uric acid. Gender is also a key factor in the causes of gout because studies show that males are more susceptible to this disease than females.

The other possible causes of gout include excessive consumption of alcohol, physiological defect in our bodies where the break down of purines malfunctions, lead exposure also adds to susceptibility to gout and some medications contribute to high levels of uric acid in our bodies.

Being aware of the causes of gout leads us to knowing the remedies to treating gout. A low purine diet coupled with exercise is the most recommended remedy for gout. Increasing your water intake, as well as other fluids' intake, can help your body flush out excessive uric acid to help treat gout.

Having gout may be very painful and the use of medications and drugs may be necessary to ease the pain of the disease. Anti-inflammatory drugs are also needed to promote normal function of the affected joint. There are some alternative remedies to the causes of gout as well.