Gout is also known as gouty arthritis and it' s cause is the accumulation of uric acid that then turns into crystals. These crystals are found in your joints. Gout is a very painful disease that mostly affects a single joint, usually your big toe. The gout patient usually suffers from this much pain because there are two pain sources: one is the crystals that are found in the joint ans if the affected area is somehow moved, pain is very big and the second reason why a gout case is so painful is because of inflammation. The tissues that surround your joint get inflamed and they hurt very much at the slightest touch. This is the reason why a gout case is so painful.

Gout is one of the most old arthritis forms. Men are mainly affected by gout. Besides the fact that gout is more common in men than women, old studies confirmed by new ones prove that women, if they do develop gout, they only suffer from this disease if they have reached menopause. If a woman has not yet reached menopause, then the chances are she will not develop gout. Other studies on gout patients have shown that this condition mostly affects people who have good financial conditions. Furthermore, gout patients are said to be very intelligent. Some time ago gout was considered to be the wealthy' s disease, because they eating and drinking habits were believed to cause gout. However, recent studies have shown something different. Although rich foods and alcohol are related to gout, they can only cause a gout attack, but they are not the cause of gout.

The main cause of gout is the level of uric acid that you have in your blood. However, there are also many exceptions. People who despite the high level of uric acid in his/ her blood never develop gout. It is a common belief that genes are also another gout cause. This disease is inherited.

Gout attacks sometimes happen without a specific cause, but sometimes the actual causes of a gout attack are known. If a person is overweight, if a person eats meats that are high in purines , if they take medication, such as aspirin or diuretics and if they consume too much alcohol then these factors can cause an attack of gout.

Even if gout can appear in both men and women, the first signs of a gout are mostly seen in men that are over forty.