Gout Natural Cure | Symptoms and Diet for Gout

Posted on June 4, 2009 by mkr in Health Advice Live Chat Help

Gout Information

Gout is the clinical manifestation of a disturbed uric acid metabolism or purine metabolism. It is characterized by deposition of uric-acid salts, especially sodium biurate, in connective tissues such as cartilage (of joints or of the ear), the walls of bursa and ligaments.
The patient is nearly always over 40 years and more often a man than a woman.

What Causes Gout?

The precise cause of the disturbance of metabolism is unknown. There is an inherited predisposition of the disease. In susceptible persons an attack may be induced by excessive consumption of purine rich foods and diet such as liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, shellfish, beer or heavy wines or by recent injury or operation.

Clinical Manifestations and Symptoms of Gout

The chief clinical manifestations are arthritis and bursitis.

Arthritis

Gout affects particularly the peripheral joints such as the joints of the toes, tarsus and ankle and the small joints of the hands. It occurs in recurrent attacks. The first attack is usually in the great toe and later attacks may affect other joints. In an acute attack the onset is sudden and often during the night. The affected joint is swollen, red and glossy. Pain is severe and movements are restricted. The attack subsides after a few days and the joint is normal between attacks.


In chronic gout several joints are affected together. They are thickened and nodular and painful on movements.

Bursitis

The bursa most commonly affected is the olecranon bursa of the shoulder. It becomes distended with fluid and there may be palpable deposits of uric acid salts.

Other manifestations-Ear cartilage – Uric acid salts are deposited in ear cartilage forming palpable nodules.

Foods that Cause Gout and Diet for Gout

  1. Dietary source of uric acid which is high in purine content such as meat, especially glandular meat such as liver, pancreas and kidney, fish like salmon, sardine and herring are to be avoided by those having gout attacks and also by those having familial traits.
  2. Over indulgence of alcohol should be avoided.
  3. Food which contains uric acid in moderate amount such as meat (other than glandular), chicken, lobster, shrimps are to be avoided.
  4. Vegetables which cause gout are eggplant, cauliflower, spinach, peas and all kinds of beans, asparagus, mushrooms are to be avoided.
  5. Sapodilla and custard apple should be avoided during attack.
  6. Gradual reduction in weight is encouraged as it is commonly seen in obese persons (is associated with a fall in serum urate) who are more prone to gout. The body weight of such persons should be reduced to normal as it helps to prevent recurrence of gout.
  7. Severe calorie restriction must be avoided as it causes lactic acidosis and a rise in serum urate.
  8. Fat consumption should be restricted partly because eating such food substances causes retention of urates by the kidney and partly to prevent obesity.
  9. Water intake should be excessive as it helps in excretion of the uric acid from the body.

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