Gout And Inflammation

Gout And Inflammation

Everywhere I turn I run into evidence that supports the idea that a plant based diet supports healthy living, and this also applies to combating gout.

Gout is the recurring attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis in the joints, due to the excessive buildup of uric acid. Gout mostly commonly affects the big toe but also affects other joints, such as the fingers, heels, knees, and wrists.

Gout symptoms include sudden, intense pain in a joint, which usually occurs overnight from the buildup of uric acid in the joint. The excessive buildup of uric acid in the joint then triggers an inflammatory reaction which results in swelling and tenderness.

The pain is likely to be most severe in the first twelve to twenty-four hours after it begins, and the joint discomfort and inflammation can last from a few days to a few weeks.

Gout: Uric Acid Buildup And Crystallization

What causes gout? Gout is the end result of a condition called hyperuricemia, which is the excessive buildup of uric acid in the blood. Not all people who have hyperuricemia end up with gout though.

Gout is the development of urate crystals that are formed from the excessive buildup of uric acid. The urate crystals are deposited in joints and tissue. The build up urate crystals causes pain in the joint and triggers and inflammatory response by the body to combat the buildup. The combination results in pain, swelling, and tenderness in the affected joint.

What Causes Uric Acid Buildup?

Purines are naturally produced by the body, but we also eat foods that contain purines. When the body breaks down the purines, produced either by our bodies or from breaking down the purines found in the food we eat, the body produces uric acid.

Under normal conditions the excess uric acid made from purines goes into the urine and is excreted from the body through the kidneys.

Uric acid will buildup in the blood stream if the body is producing too much uric acid, or if the kidneys are not functioning efficiently to excrete enough uric acid. The excess uric acid can then result in needle-like urate crystals which buildup in joints or surrounding tissue and cause pain, inflammation, and swelling.

There is also a genetic factor to consider because a person who has close relatives with hyperuricemia is more likely to develop hyperuricemia. Though a genetic factor is being considered, I think similar eating habits of family members might also be a reason why a person who has close relatives with hyperuricemia is more likely to develop hyperuricemia, and subsequently gout.

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References:
What are purines?
Purine-rich foods affect on gout
The Purine Research Society
Uric acid – blood

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