Home | News | TCM | Reflexology | Acupuncture | Taiji | Qigong | Herbal Tea | Sino-western Joint | Products | Cases | Academic Exchange | Prevention | Activities | Forum | Community | Blog | About Us | Site Map
Gout is a type of arthritis that results from too much uric (pronounced yur-ik) acid in the body. Uric acid is a waste product that naturally occurs in the body. It is normally flushed from the body by the kidneys through urine.
With gout the body either makes too much uric acid or does not excrete enough. The uric acid forms into crystals that, because these have nowhere else to go, deposit in different parts of the body.
Often the excess uric acid crystals deposit in the joints. This causes pain, swelling and tenderness in the area. This is called inflammation.
Gout most often affects the big toe but can also affect the ankle, knee, foot, hand, wrist and elbow.
Gout is a condition in which uric acid, a waste product that occurs naturally occurring within the body, rises above normal levels. Rather than being flushed by the kidneys and through the urine, as it normally is, it forms crystals and deposits in the joints. These deposits give rise to inflammation of the joints, causing pain, swelling, redness and tenderness of the area. Most typically the joint affected is that of the big toe, but gout can also affect the ankle, knee, foot, hand, wrist and elbow. Uric acid crystals may also form deposits in other areas such as under the skin or in other soft tissues, and in the kidney or urinary tract.
Gout has been recognized since antiquity: the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates described it almost 2500 years ago. It was previously referred to as the 'king of diseases' and the 'disease of kings' as it commonly occurred in royal families. Nowadays, gout mostly occurs in those countries with a high standard of living. For instance, it has been rare in China, Polynesia and the Philippines, but when people born in these countries move to areas with a higher standard of living their incidence of gout has also tended to increase. This suggests that environmental factors play a major role in the disease. Genetic predisposition may also be a factor.
Gout is predominantly a disease of adult men. It is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis in men over age 40, and men have at least four times greater likelihood of developing gout than women. Gout is uncommon in men under 30 years of age, and often occurs between the ages of 40 and 50. Women rarely develop gout before reaching menopause, and more often do after the age of 60.
A number of factors seem to contribute to gout. Acute gout may be triggered by events such as surgery, heart attacks, or trauma. Use of alcohol or some medications, such as certain diuretics (also known as water pills), particularly those used to treat high blood pressure, can set off a gout attack. Certain foods, such as seafood and liver, and beverages, such as coffee and tea may contribute to the incidence of gout. A family history of gout is common for those who develop it, and this may be a result of genetic predisposition or environmental factors.
