High uric acid symptoms

It is unfortunate that usually high uric acid symptoms will only show themselves once you already have a gout attack. Gout is caused by a high level of uric acid collecting in one’s joints in crystallized form and its presence can only be confirmed through blood and urine laboratory tests. This is an illness that affects around one percent of the Western population sometime during their lifetime.

The causes behind high uric acid include a genetic component, a dietary component and in some cases it might be due to an under-excretion of urate.The dietary factor is one that has quite a part to play in this case with around twelve percent of gout cases being caused by improperly balanced diet coupled with a sedentary lifestyle.

When gout shows itself, the sufferer will notice the high uric acid symptoms. The joints become swollen, red, hot and tender to the touch. Usually, the first one to be affected will be the joint in the big toe because the feet are at a somewhat lower temperature than the rest of the joints in the body. After that first attack, the illness can spread to any other joint in the body be it the ankle, the knee, the elbow and the rest.

The problem with gout is that at least for the moment there isn’t a cure that can be used, although scientist are constantly looking for one. The only way that it can be treated is through managing the high uric acid symptoms and trying to lower the levels or uric acid in the body.

There are of course medical treatments for high uric acid symptoms and while some of the drugs usually prescribed to deal with this problem are relatively safe, some of the others can result in various other complications due to side effects. In most cases, these drugs are avoided or used as a last resort. Usually, a doctor will prescribe these drugs two weeks after the second attack. If your condition is not serious, you will start with another method of getting rid of this problem. The best way of lowering high uric acid symptoms is to combine a safe medical treatment with lifestyle changes.

These lifestyle changes would include a decrease in the intake of meat and seafood, an increase in the intake of vitamin C, and the decreasing of the consumption of alcohol and sugar in general. Basically, any lifestyle change that will result in a lowered blood pressure will have a positive effect on high uric acid symptoms. It is important to stress the fact that there are some concerns as to blood pressure medicines in fact aggravating the high uric acid symptoms, so the lowering of blood pressure has to be natural.

A person can also do other things to manage high uric acid symptoms, such as drinking plenty of water each day in order to help the kidneys flush more of the excess uric acid out. Eating cherries on a daily basis can also help because they have some anti-inflammatory properties which might help your symptoms, especially when you’re on a low-sugar diet. As it was stated earlier, there is no cure for gout, these are only things that one can do in order to manage and lower high uric acid symptoms and levels, the main idea being that once the levels of uric acid are under control and are constantly kept under control then the gout attacks never return. This is of a crucial importance to any sufferer because repeated gout attacks can and will eventually lead to damaging the kidneys and in some cases damaging the joints for ever.

Last updated on Apr 30th, 2010 and filed under Musculoskeletal Disorders. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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