Gout

BIG TOE & FOOT ANATOMY

DISEASE EXPLAINED

SYMPTOMS

The signs and symptoms of gout almost always occur suddenly, and often at night. They include:

INTENSE JOINT PAIN.
Gout usually affects the large joint of your big toe, but it can occur in any joint. Other commonly affected joints include the ankles, knees, elbows, wrists and fingers. The pain is likely to be most severe within the first four to 12 hours after it begins.

LINGERING DISCOMFORT.
After the most severe pain subsides, some joint discomfort may last from a few days to a few weeks. Later attacks are likely to last longer and affect more joints.

INFLAMMATION AND REDNESS.
The affected joint or joints become swollen, tender, warm and red.

LIMITED RANGE OF MOTION.
As gout progresses, you may not be able to move your joints normally.

CAUSES

Gout occurs when urate crystals accumulate in your joint, causing the inflammation and intense pain of a gout attack. Urate crystals can form when you have high levels of uric acid in your blood.

Your body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines — substances that are found naturally in your body.

Purines are also found in certain foods, such as steak, organ meats and seafood. Other foods also promote higher levels of uric acid, such as alcoholic beverages, especially beer, and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose).

Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine. But sometimes either your body produces too much uric acid or your kidneys excrete too little uric acid. When this happens, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needlelike urate crystals in a joint or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling.

TREATMENT

TREATMENT OPTIONS

Treatment for gout usually involves medications. What medications you and your doctor choose will be based on your current health and your own preferences.

Gout medications can be used to treat acute attacks and prevent future attacks. Medications can also reduce your risk of complications from gout, such as the development of tophi from urate crystal deposits.

Medications to treat gout attacks

Drugs used to treat acute attacks and prevent future attacks include:

NSAIDs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include over-the-counter options such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve), as well as more-powerful prescription NSAIDs such as indomethacin (Indocin) or celecoxib (Celebrex).

Your doctor may prescribe a higher dose to stop an acute attack, followed by a lower daily dose to prevent future attacks.

NSAIDs carry risks of stomach pain, bleeding and ulcers.

COLCHICINE.
Your doctor may recommend colchicine (Colcrys, Mitigare), a type of pain reliever that effectively reduces gout pain. The drug’s effectiveness may be offset, however, by side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, especially if taken in large doses.

After an acute gout attack resolves, your doctor may prescribe a low daily dose of colchicine to prevent future attacks.

CORTICOSTEROIDS.
Corticosteroid medications, such as the drug prednisone, may control gout inflammation and pain. Corticosteroids may be in pill form, or they can be injected into your joint.

Corticosteroids are generally used only in people with gout who can’t take either NSAIDs or colchicine. Side effects of corticosteroids may include mood changes, increased blood sugar levels and elevated blood pressure.

MEDICATIONS TO PREVENT GOUT COMPLICATIONS
If you experience several gout attacks each year, or if your gout attacks are less frequent but particularly painful, your doctor may recommend medication to reduce your risk of gout-related complications. If you already have evidence of damage from gout on joint X-rays, or you have tophi, chronic kidney disease or kidney stones, medications to lower your body’s level of uric acid may be recommended. Options include:

Medications that block uric acid production. Drugs called xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs), including allopurinol (Aloprim, Lopurin, Zyloprim) and febuxostat (Uloric), limit the amount of uric acid your body makes. This may lower your blood’s uric acid level and reduce your risk of gout.

Side effects of allopurinol include a rash and low blood counts. Febuxostat side effects include rash, nausea, reduced liver function and an increased risk of heart-related death.

Medication that improves uric acid removal. These drugs, called uricosurics, include probenecid (Probalan) and lesinurad (Zurampic). Uricosuric drugs improve your kidneys’ ability to remove uric acid from your body. This may lower your uric acid levels and reduce your risk of gout, but the level of uric acid in your urine is increased. Side effects include a rash, stomach pain and kidney stones. Lesinurad can be taken only along with an XOI.