Acute Gouty Arthritis

Gout is a condition caused by an increased level of uric acid in blood.

This causes the deposit of needle-shaped uric acid crystals

into the joints.

Acute gouty arthritis is a serious disorder and is one of a hundred types of rheumatic diseases.

Gout is a painful condition that is recognizable by swelling and intense pain in the joint.

An acute gouty arthritis attack mostly affects the big toe joint, however it can affect other joints.

Gout will usually affect one joint at a time but in advanced cases it affects more than one joint.

In the worst cases gout can affect several joints simultaneously.

Joints usually affected can be feet, knees, ankles,

fingers, wrists, and elbows.

Acute gouty arthritis mostly affects men of over 40 years age and rarely affects women and children.

Overweight people are more likley to get gout.

During an attack the affected joint becomes red, swollen, tender and incredibly painful.

The joint becomes stiff and unusable, severely disrupting normal life.

Usually the symptoms and pain associated with a gout attack subside after a period of days.

During acute gouty arthritis, the uric acid level is very high.

Because of this, uric acid crystals are formed.

Once formed they get deposited in the spaces around the joints.

The body then reacts to these crystals as if they were a foreign body.

The area is flooded with inflammatory cells.

In this stage you can get frequent attacks of gout, often in different joints.

The next stage in the progress of acute gouty arthritis is the intercritical stage.

In this stage the gout attacks have subsided due to medications and other natural means.

However if the uric acid levels remain high then there is likely to be further gout attacks later on.

The ultimate stage in the progress of gouty arthritis is chronic gout.

Chronic gout is usually caused when there is not enough time between attacks for healing to take place

Gout now becomes a serious health hazard.

Permanent damage can be caused to the body throughjoint damage, potential kidney problems.

People with acute gouty arthritis must seek remedies to bring down the level of uric acid in their blood.

By doing this you can save yourself from the pain and suffering caused by frequent or chronic gout attacks.