It is erroneously assumed that gouty arthritis is a disease that affects only the elderly. Although in fact gout can overtake everyone at any stage of life. Recognizing the symptoms of gouty arthritis, and treatment can begin in a timely manner. This, in turn, will not allow the disease to develop into a chronic form, and the patient will face serious problems.
The main causes and symptoms of gouty arthritis
Gout is an inflammatory disease that affects the joints. Inflammation develops as a result of excessive accumulation of salts of uric acid. Gout is able to affect absolutely any joints, but most often the disease develops in the region of the big toes. From gouty arthritis, neither men nor women are protected. And yet, as practice showed, the representatives of the stronger sex begin to suffer from gout at an earlier age.
More often than others, to face symptoms and dive into the subtleties of the treatment of gouty arthritis are people who do not adhere to a healthy diet. The protein in the body splits rather slowly, therefore, due to excessive use of it, uric acid can accumulate in large quantities.
Among the main reasons for the development of gout or gouty arthritis are the following:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- poor heredity;
- alcoholism ;
- excess weight;
- taking certain medications (negatively affecting health is the abuse of diuretics);
- kidney disease;
- frequent hypothermia.
Symptoms of acute gouty arthritis in different organisms are not the same. Most often the disease proceeds paroxysmally. In some patients, exacerbations do not occur more than a couple of times a year, while others experience all the "delights" of gout at least once a week. Everything depends on your health, your lifestyle and your chosen treatment.
The main symptoms of acute gouty arthritis are as follows:
- The main symptom is severe pain in the joint. During an attack, even a slight touch to the affected area seems painfully painful. The joint hurts, even being in a quiet state, and during the movement unpleasant sensations become almost unbearable.
- Often the skin around the affected joint turns red.
- The joint often swells.
- Attacks in some patients are accompanied by intense fever, chills, fever.
- At a certain stage of the disease, small nodules of white color begin to appear under the skin.
Initially, the symptoms of gouty arthritis can disappear even without special treatment. With time, the duration and morbidity of their significantly increased. If a qualified treatment is neglected, gout and at all can take a chronic form.
How to treat gouty arthritis?
The first and most important stage of treatment is diet compliance. The patient should minimize the amount of meat, fish, sausages, legumes in the diet. Categorically not recommended to drink alcohol. But the purified water, juices, fruit drinks, compotes should drink more - at least two liters per day. Take food in small portions, but often - about five to six times a day. The best cooked dishes are steamed dishes.
Many specialists use special medicines to treat gouty arthritis:
- Allopurinol;
- Colchicine;
- Nimesulide;
- Indomethacin;
- Diclofenac;
- Itet ;
- Ibuprofen;
- Urikozim;
- Probenecid.
Complex treatment may also include physiotherapeutic procedures.