Gout is an extremely painful disease and can cause immense discomfort apart from complications like kidney stones and the like. Unfortunately, there is no established cure for gout. The best means of thwarting gout attacks is prevention. These insidious attacks occur when you will be least expecting it, sometimes while you are asleep.



Purine is a normal constituent of the human diet. It is metabolized within the body to produce uric acid, which then reacts with the sodium ions present in the system to give mono-sodium urate (MSU). The production of MSU rises with the internal pH of the body. At the biological pH, the MSU exists in the form of insoluble crystals that deposit on the joints of the body. The bodys defense mechanism recognizes these accumulated crystals as foreign invasions and combats them with white blood cells called neutrophils. As a result of this immunologic reaction, sudden inflammation and rubor of the skin develops, along with heat production and tenderness of the affected regions. This is accompanied by excruciating pain as the bodys defense mechanism fights the invading MSU crystals. The symptoms include malaise, fever, chills, increased heart rate, and high blood pressure.

The most commonly afflicted areas of gout include the big toes and the joints in feet, ankles, knees, hands, wrists, arms, elbows, and bursas, the ligaments and tendons around these joints; and, in extreme cases, shoulders, necks, hips and spine.

Gout attacks typically set in between midnight and 2 a.m. and are more frequent during the spring. The initial attacks may wane automatically within a few days even without treatment, as the crystals become encrusted by certain proteins that prevent their recognition by the immune system as non-self particles. However, gout may resurface even after years, and in due course of time the frequency of the attacks gradually increases. Ultimately, the problem becomes a persistent one and in chronic cases, can cause permanent distortion of the affected joints.

Medications should be taken within a short while of the onset; otherwise the attack may get beyond control. If no treatment is administered within the first 12 hours, combating gout becomes near to impossible. If you are a frequent sufferer, do remember to carry necessary medicines wit you wherever you go, even on business or pleasure trips. Do take sufficient rest until the attack completely subsides, overuse of the strained joints may cause irreparable damage.