What is Gout ?

Read about  Gout Disease presented in simple easy to understand language

Gout is one of the most common forms of Arthritis. It is a metabolic disorder resulting in hyperuricemia ( high level of uric acid in the blood) with the deposits of urate crystals in the synovium causing inflammation, swelling and pain. It manifests as recurrent acute Arthritis which progresses to chronic deforming Arthritis with the formation of gouty tophi ( uric acid crystals deposited in soft tissues). The condition becomes such that the body either makes too much uric acid or does not excrete enough of it. The uric acid forms crystals that are deposited in the joints and soft tissues. These deposits give rise to inflammation of the joints causing pain, swelling, and redness of the area. 

The major crystals associated with gouty Arthritis are monosocium urate monohydrate ( urate gout), calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD gout or pseudogout), and hydroxyapatite ( apatite gout)k. The joints that are generally affected and metatarsal phalangeal, metacarpal phalangeal, and interphalangeal joints. However, it can affect any joint such as the joints of the fingers, wrist, elbow, knee, ankle, or foot. The most common affected joint is the big toe. It is extremely rare for gout to affect the shoulders or hips. 

In osteoarthritis and rheumatoid Arthritis generally large weight-bearing joints are affected, but in gout the smaller joints of the toes and fingers are commonly affected. Gout affects about 275 out of every 1,00,000 people. It is generally found in the age group between 30 and 60 with the male ratio 200 times greater than that of females. Gout can occur alone, in which case it is called primary gout. It is called secondary gout when the problem occurs in conjunction with other diseases. Read More...