Gotta: what is it, what are the symptoms and the causes

What is gout?

Gout is a particular type of inflammatory arthritis caused by excess uric acid in the blood and tissues and mainly affects the peripheral joints. The excessive presence of uric acid causes a deposit of urate and therefore the formation of crystals that cause pain and inflammation of the tissues and joints.

Uric acid derives for 20% from the digestion of some foods rich in purines (purines are a category of molecules found in various foods and beverages that are widely consumed but which are also produced by the destruction of some cells in our body. Some foods, such as beer or seafood, contain them in rather high concentrations. ) and for 80% from synthesis of nucleic acids found in cells (nucleic acids are important molecules of life, because they have the ability to self build and to duplicate themselves, transmitting genetic characteristics to descendants).
Most of the uric acid is filtered by the kidneys and eliminated in the urine, while the rest passes through the intestine and is eliminated in the faeces.

But what are the symptoms of gout? Let's find out in the next chapter.

Gout symptoms

Among the most common symptoms of gout are intense and acute pain in the joints, a sudden increase in sensitivity and swelling in the affected joints. These are the most common symptoms of gout, but in some cases it could also occur fatigue, rash on affected joints, fever and loss of appetite. In the event that gout has become chronic there is a risk of creating lumps on the skin that contain uric acid. In addition, gout can also lead to calculus problems, given the great effort the kidneys make to dispose of uric acid.

But what are the parts of the body most affected by these symptoms? In most cases gout occurs on the toe of the foot, but it is not the only part involved as it also affects wrists, knees, ankles, heels, fingers, elbows and the instep.

The disease generally occurs during the hours of the night or in the early hours of the morning, as is also the case for the carpal tunnel, given that the body temperature is low and the venous stasis is more marked.

Gout, if left untreated, can recur more lightly, but more and more frequently.

The progression is divided into four phases:

• Asymptomatic hyperuricemia: symptoms are not visible, but the presence of uric acid in the blood is high.
• Acute gout attack: hyperuricemia exceeds the threshold and uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints
• Interval gotta: the period without symptoms between one episode and another
• Gout tofacea: the worst stage that is reached after 10 years without treatment or treatments.

Gotta causes

As mentioned in the previous chapters the main cause of gout, a disease that mainly affects the male sex, is the excessive presence of uric acid in the blood and this is mainly due to a bad diet with an excess of dietary proteins and carbohydrates, to the lack of activity physical or severe stress, but the problem of gout can also be inherited. In fact, the main causes that cause gout to occur are two: environmental factors and genetic risk and the first step to counteract it is to act on nutrition.

By environmental factors we mean:

• Fructose drinks
• High consumption of meat
• Mussels
• spirits
• Drugs (diuretics, sartanians, etc.)

As for genetic risk:

• Familiarity
• Male sex
• Ethnic group

Other causes may include: menopause, anemia, advanced age, psoriasis, arterial hypertension, heart failure, kidney failure, leukemia, lymphoma and even lead exposure.

Gotta diet

A healthy diet to fight gout requires the elimination of foods of animal origin.

Among the foods recommended for a healthy diet we find:

• extra virgin olive oil
• plant foods
• lean fish
• coffee
• tea and herbal tea
• skimmed milk
• chicken
• turkey

It is important to know that to carry out a balanced diet to prevent gout, it is necessary to exclude refined carbohydrates, present in white bread or cakes, which lead to an increase in uric acid.

In addition to the foods mentioned above, it is advisable to also eat: all types of fruit, legumes, dried fruit, vegetables, eggs, coffee, spices, vegetable oils, ceres, dairy products.

It is also important to drink plenty of water, which is essential to detoxify the body from uric acid. The recommended amount is 2 or 3 liters per day to drink between meals.

Other important foods to eliminate excess uric acid are ginger, which can be used with herbal teas or over foods, and birch, which in addition to draining also helps alleviate inflammation.

How to cure gout

Unfortunately, when gout occurs the only thing that can be done is to soothe the pain and wait for the regular course of the disease.
The inflammation caused by the appearance of gout can be reduced with natural remedies, for example with compresses with essential oils or clay. Inflammation can also be reduced by feeding with vegetables and fresh fruit centrifuges that have as their main function that of eliminate acids and fight inflammation by recovering vitamins and minerals.
Moreover, especially in the final phase of the gout process it is important to combine gymnastics with essential oils.

Conclusions

In this guide you have discovered what gout is, what the symptoms are, the treatments and the diet to follow. If you have recognized some of the symptoms I mentioned in the article, the advice is to consult your doctor to find out if it is just gout.

Thanks for your attention, I hope it was useful! In that case I invite you to share this article!