Gout
medical condition that results in recurrent pain and swelling of joints / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gout is a very painful medical condition. It is a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The attacks happen most often in the joint at the base of the big toe. It is caused by crystals getting deposited from the blood. This happens when the level of uric acid in the blood is too high. The crystals then stay in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues.[1]
Gout | |
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Classification and external resources | |
ICD-10 | M10. |
ICD-9 | 274.00 274.1 274.8 274.9 |
DiseasesDB | 29031 |
eMedicine | emerg/221 med/924 med/1112 oph/506 orthoped/124 radio/313 |
MeSH | D006073 |
Inflammatory arthritis happens in about 50% of all cases of gout. The disease may also appear as kidney disease due to urate crystals. People with gout often have more than one attack of gout.
Doctors decide a patient has gout if they find crystals in the joint fluid. Treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, or colchicine improves symptoms. Once an attack goes away, the patient can change his or her lifestyle to reduce levels of uric acid. People who have gout attacks often may take allopurinol or probenecid to prevent symptoms later.
Gout has become more common. It affects approximately one to two percent of people in the West during their lifetimes. Risk factors have been increasing and may be causing the increase in gout. Metabolic syndrome, longer life expectancy, and changes in diet are the most common risk factors. Gout was historically known as “the disease of kings” or “the disease of rich men".