Most people do not know that they are already afflicted with gout and in some cases they mistakenly identify common gout symptoms as rheumatism or arthritis.
Gout is caused by the formation of crystallized uric acid in individual's joints.
People who are afflicted with gout have the unfortunate problem of not being able to properly dispose of the uric acid in their system; this condition can be attributed to persons' kidneys not performing to its optimum.
Gout can also be caused by over consumption of foods that have high uric acid content and therefore increasing the body's uric acid levels.
The human body can also produce uric acid on its own, thus if a person's body is producing too much uric acid gout can be a real probability.
Gout can also be transferred through heredity.
Other causes for gout occurrence is being obese, too much alcohol intake and as mentioned above under performance of an individual's kidneys, pharmaceutical drugs also can cause uric acid levels to rise abnormally, with insulin, cyclosporine, low dose aspirin and other drugs that people take to alleviate other symptoms of other diseases that an individual may be suffering from.
The symptoms for gout can appear quite suddenly and the most common symptoms for a person to know that he or she is afflicted with gout are; sudden extreme pain in the big toe, the afflicted joints feel very tender and swollen and feel a bit warm, gout turns the skin in the area of the joint quite reddish, more disturbing symptoms include fevers and chills and increased heart rate, with pain being felt for just a few hours to a few days and in a few cases the pain can last for weeks.
Gout can also manifest itself in the finger joints, ears, ankles, elbows, wrist and other parts of the foot.
Gout is a very painful affliction and one is better off in preventing gout from occurring, treatments have severe and uncomfortable side effects so you'll be better off not risking having gout at all.
Drinking lots of water like the recommended daily amount of more than 8 glasses a day can be of big help, it will assist the body in removing more uric acid through urine.
Getting enough water also helps in reducing the risk of getting kidney stones.
Maintaining proper weight and doing regular exercises can be of big help.
Consume foods that are known to decrease incidence of gout and these include: dairy products, foods high in potassium, lemon juice, blue berries.
Foods to avoid are shellfish, alcoholic beverages, and internal organs of animals, dried peas and seeds.
Being mindful of what can prevent and causes gout can help you avoid the pain and suffering that gout brings about to a person afflicted with it.
Don't risk it.
Prevent gout from getting into your life.