Gout is a common disorder that affects mainly men, and recent research suggests gout disease is on the increase! This article provides some simple home remedies, grounded in scientific principles, that may help alleviate symptoms or even prevent gout attacks.
The Importance of Gout Diets
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes recurrent joint pain, inflammation and swelling. Although the symptoms of gout are usually perceived in the lower regions of the body (big toe, heels, ankles, knees), they can occur in regions of the upper body as well (shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers). Statistics indicate that gout affects around 3.5 million people in the United States. Gout is commonly seen in people with ages over 50, rarely affecting young adults and children. Although gout can occur in both genders, the disease has the highest incidence in men.
Proper Gout Diet Prevents and Eases Gout Symptoms
Also referred to as the disease of kings, the occurrence and development of gout are strongly determined by improper diet. In the past, the disease predominantly affected nobles and royalty, due to their access to an abundance of foods that are known today to have high risks of causing gout. These days, many people are still confronted with gout, as they consume foods that interfere in the normal activity of the body. Mostly people living in developed societies are the ones who tend to be affected by gout. The consumption of some exotic foods like seafood (oysters, caviar, calamari, sushi) or improper diets that contain a lot of meats (pork, poultry, beef) are the factors that seem to facilitate the occurrence and the development of the disease. Statistics indicate that people who live in less-developed countries have a smaller chance of developing gout. Also, research results reveal the preponderance of obese people among those who are suffering from different forms of gout.
Diagnosis and Pathogenesis of Gout
Gout is a common type of arthritis that causes inflammation, swelling and pain of the joints. The disease is caused by the accumulation of uric crystals at the level of the joints and muscular tissues. In many cases, the underlying cause of gout is high serum uric acid concentration. Uric acid is a substance synthesized during the bodys purine metabolism, having no physiological importance inside the organism. In fact, uric acid is a waste product excreted by the kidneys through urine. High serum uric acid levels are the result of either overproduction or inappropriate excretion of uric acid. The great majority of gout cases are caused by under-excretion of uric acid, as a consequence of renal dysfunctions.