You’re more likely to develop gout if you have high levels of uric acid in your body.
Factors that increase the uric acid level in your body include:
- Medical conditions. Certain diseases and conditions make it more likely that you’ll develop gout. These include untreated high blood pressure and chronic conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart and kidney diseases.
- Family history of gout. If other members of your family have had gout, you’re more likely to develop the disease.
- Age and sex. Gout occurs more often in men, primarily because women tend to have lower uric acid levels. After menopause, however, women’s uric acid levels approach those of men. Men also are more likely to develop gout earlier — usually between the ages of 30 and 50 — whereas women generally develop signs and symptoms after menopause.
People with gout can develop more-severe conditions, such as:
-
Recurrent gout.
Some people may never experience gout signs and symptoms again. But others may experience gout several times each year. Medications may help prevent gout attacks in people with recurrent gout. If left untreated, gout can cause erosion and destruction of a joint.
-
Advanced gout.
Untreated gout may cause deposits of urate crystals to form under the skin in nodules called tophi (TOE-fie). Tophi can develop in several areas such as your fingers, hands, feet, elbows or Achilles tendons along the backs of your ankles. Tophi usually aren’t painful, but they can become swollen and tender during gout attacks.
-
Kidney stones.
Urate crystals may collect in the urinary tract of people with gout, causing kidney stones. Medications can help reduce the risk of kidney stones.
Too much uric acid in the blood can result in uric acid crystals being formed and deposited in and around joints = gout.
Risk Factors for the Development of Gout:
1 – Diet can play a big factor when eating a diet that’s high in meat and seafood and high in beverages sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose) promotes higher levels of uric acid, which increases your risk of gout.
Beer (including nonalcoholic beer) and liquor
Foods and drinks containing high fructose corn syrup
Certain foods and drinks containing high fructose corn syrup
Certain foods (such as anchovies, asparagus, consomme, herring, meat gravies and broths, mushrooms, mussels, all organ meats, sardines, and sweetbreads) High proteins in the blood stream as a ending digestion result.
Low dairy intake
Other risk factors putting you at risk for gout:
2 – Certain cancers and blood disorders (such as lymphoma, leukemia, and hemolytic anemia)
Certain drugs (such as thiazides diuretics – commonly used to treat hypertension and low-dose aspirin also can increase uric acid levels – commonly in geriatrics the 81mg oral of Bayer given for pt with Atrial Fibrillation or a heart condition to thin the blood to make the heart pump easier and less stress to that organ which is the engine of the human body. Another certain medications that can increase uric acid in the blood stream are cyclosporine, pyrazinamide, ethambutal, nictotinic acid and so can the use of anti-rejection drugs prescribed for people who have undergone an organ transplant.
3 – An under-active thyroid=hypothyroidism
4 – Lead poisoning
5 – If you are overweight, your body produces more uric acid and your kidneys have a more difficult time eliminating uric acid, which greatly increases your risk of gout.
6 -Psoriasis
7 – Radiation therapy
8 – Cancer chemotherapy
9 – Certain Chronic kidney disease
10 – Certain rare enzyme abnormalities
11 – Starvation.
12 – For unknown reasons, not all people who have hyperuricemia develop gout.
13 – Recent trauma and surgery – Experiencing recent surgery or trauma has been associated with an increased risk of developing gout.
In may not be just one factor but a many or few you have or simply go to your MD and get checked on your uric acid level and see if it is high and see how high it is and what factors you could stop of decrease in making the uric acid level go down. See your doctor and do a preventative measure before any symptoms like Gout even occur. Take care of your self no one else will do it for you unless your a child with a mom and dad or just one parent.
Revised on 4/02/24 by Elizabeth Lynch RN BSN