Gout: More causes than just red meat

Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid in the blood. The acid makes the blood in the joints form needle-like crystals which cause severe pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling.
According to doctors, adults have a high risk of getting the disease than children. Men are also more vulnerable than the women.

How it strikes
Betty Nabwire, 54, a mother of five says when she was diagnosed with high blood pressure in her early 30s; her joints started weakening and itching. She adds that she ignored the pain believing it was due to the fact that she worked hard throughout the day. “I thought I was just tired,” says Nabwire.
According to Dr Irene Bagimba of Cure Joint Clinic in Masanafu, this is the earliest stage of the disease and people need to seek medical attention in case of such manifestations.
“The first stages are always mild and many ignore them,” says Dr Bagimba.

Sixty-two-year-old Ben Kintu, did not get any symptoms until his condition became critical. His joints were very painful and he developed severe and constant headaches that did not disappear for eight to 10 hours. “My joints started swelling. In most cases the pain was unbearable. When I visited a doctor, I was diagnosed with stage three gout,” says Kintu, adding that since he started taking medication, the pain has significantly reduced.

Nabwire could not ignore her painful joints anymore when ball-like structures started forming in her joints. “When I visited a doctor, the condition was at first attributed to high blood pressure and my body size since I was overweight. I was told to lose weight,” narrates Nabwire.

Stages
Dr Nicholas Sempereza says the ailment manifests at different times and in different ways. For one to get to the last stage, the disease will be very complicated to treat as most of the symptoms will be more physical than emotional.
“In the first stage called ‘asymptomatic hyperuricemia’, the crystals are in their early stage of formation.

In the second stage, a person will begin to feel pain as a result of a rise in uric levels in the blood which spike the formed crystals. Generally, this gout attack will be in the big toe area and will feel like a broken foot ,” says Dr Sempereza.
He adds that the third stage referred to as intercritical Gout or interval gout which is the period of time in between gout attacks where one feels no symptoms and joints function properly. Although there is no pain, the gout is not gone. Low-level inflammation may be damaging joints. This is the time to begin managing gout.

The doctor says it is essential to seek proper medical treatment for the disease and change your lifestyle through proper diet and exercise to avoid and/or prevent any future gout attacks. “Chronic gout, the last stage, develops in people with gout whose uric acid levels remain high over a number of years. Attacks become more frequent and the pain may not go away as it used to. Joint damage may occur, which can lead to loss of mobility. With proper management and treatment though, this stage is preventable,” says Dr Sempereza.

What to look out for
When Nabwire was diagnosed with the disease, the doctors told her to reduce her weight and change diet. She had to make a uniform pattern on the times she visited the doctor and take medication as had been prescribed.

“I was advised to reduce the amount of red meat I consumed, workout to cut weight and stop taking soda as these were making the condition worse,” says Nabwire.

Dr Henry Kabugo, a nutritionist at Melden Health Centre in Seguku advises that once someone is diagnosed with gout, they should purpose to identify the cause. He identifies some of the causes as:

Diet: Eating red meat and shellfish (such as oysters, shrimp and crab) increases your risk of getting the disease. Patients should either reduce these or drop them completely from their diet.

Alcohol: Most alcoholics stand a high chance of contracting the disease. Alcohol, especially beer increases the risk of getting gout.

Soda: The fructose in sodas has recently been shown to increase gout risk.

Gender and age: Gout is more common in men than women until the age of 60. Experts believe natural estrogen protects women up to that point.

Obesity: Obese people are more prone to getting gout as they tend to develop it at a younger age than people of normal weight.

Genes: If family members have gout, you are more likely to develop it.

Other health conditions: High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease may raise your risk.

Super foods for Gout patients
According to an online research, gout patients need to stick to fruits and green leafy vegetables.

For example, for breakfast, include a glass of 100 per cent fruit juice, whole-wheat toast and a bowl of whole-grain, unsweetened cereal with low-fat milk.

For lunch, a sample menu would include a glass of low-fat milk, an apple, pear, orange or other piece of fresh fruit. Also eat a side salad, bowl of vegetable soup and carrot sticks; and a sandwich featuring two to three ounces of fish, poultry or lean meat on whole-wheat bread with tomato, lettuce and a low-fat spread.
For snacks, gout patients should avoid snacks high in fat or sugars. Instead, eat nuts, vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Non-medication pain relief

In addition to medication, these self-care tips may help your gout flare-up pain:
•Use cold. If the pain isn’t too bad, try cold packs or cold compresses on the joint to lessen the inflammation and help the pain. Ice the joint for 20 to 30 minutes several times a day.
•Rest the joint. It’s a good idea to rest until the pain lessens. Most people having an acute attack of gouty arthritis probably won’t want to move the joint much anyway. Raise the joint if you can on a pillow or other soft object.
•Drink water. A lack of water in your body can make your uric acid levels rise even higher than they already are. Drinking water will help your body stabilize uric acid to a normal level.
•Watch what you eat and drink. Foods that are high in purines (some seafood, organ meats such as liver, and fatty foods) can increase the uric acid in your blood even more. So can fructose-sweetened drinks and alcohol, especially beer.