Good question. I will try to be specific so that you can get a good idea of what to avoid. First of all, we need to understand the reason for gout and why we have to avoid certain foods. Gout is a disorder where uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints, causing excruciating pain and swelling in the affected area. Most commonly called "Padegra," the Hallux (the big toe joint) is affected. The area gets hot, red, swollen and very painful due to the crystals which feel like glass and sharp pain. Gout affects anyone over 20 years of age and the rate of incidence increases with age. It is the inability of the kidneys to dispose of a specific protein called "Purine," and; as a result; turns into uric acid. Purines are the proteins that we need to avoid, hence a diet low in purines is what our goal will be. Gout was once known as the "Rich man's disease" because Henry the eighth and other kings were the only people who were rich enough to eat foods high in purines. They were the people afflicted with gout and the peasants did not get it, so everyone called it "The rich man's disease."
There are two reasons for gout. Overproduction of uric acids and under-excretion of uric acid. The ultimate result is more uric acid in your bloodstream, which will go to the joint and cause an acute attack. Most people (90%) are underexcretors, meaning their kidneys are not excreting the uric acid fast enough. There is an enzyme called Xanthine Oxidase which breaks down the purines and turns them into uric acid.
Purine rich foods include the following: Cheese, organ meats (liver, kidney, brain, chitlins, stomach, spleen, etc), red meats, wine, and some legumes. Many people, even some doctors, do not know that lentils will cause an acute gout attack, so stay away from lentil soup. A typical gouty attack occurs when someone goes out for dinner, has a steak and a glass of wine. The attack will usually occur in the morning. The pain is so bad that it even hurts when the bed sheat touches the affected area. Some joints that are affected are the first MTP (The joint behind the big toe), the ankle, knee, wrist, fingers, and sometimes (to a lesser extent) the hips and elbows. Never mix alcohol with meats, as this will almost always give you a gout attack.
There are very simple ways to avoid having an acute gouty attack beside watching your diet. There is a drug called "Allopurinal" which is prescribed for underexcretors (remember, most people with gout are underexcretors). Taken daily, it will prevent an attack, and the medicine is fairly safe. Once an attack occurs, you need to take either Colchicine or Indometahcin. Most physicians are very conservative with their colchicine prescription and will order one tablet (0.6 mg) every four hours. I think that one tablet every two hours until a maximum of 10 has been ingested is a better way to cure the attack. Of course, if the patient gets nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, then they have to stop taking colichicine. A side note: Aspirin taken in low doses will sometimes cause an acute gout attack. Aspiring taken in high doses is a treatment for gout. Go figure. Good luck and avoid having more than three attacks per year, because the damage caused to the joint will give you gouty arthritis. This is worse than most other types of arthritis.
There are two reasons for gout. Overproduction of uric acids and under-excretion of uric acid. The ultimate result is more uric acid in your bloodstream, which will go to the joint and cause an acute attack. Most people (90%) are underexcretors, meaning their kidneys are not excreting the uric acid fast enough. There is an enzyme called Xanthine Oxidase which breaks down the purines and turns them into uric acid.
Purine rich foods include the following: Cheese, organ meats (liver, kidney, brain, chitlins, stomach, spleen, etc), red meats, wine, and some legumes. Many people, even some doctors, do not know that lentils will cause an acute gout attack, so stay away from lentil soup. A typical gouty attack occurs when someone goes out for dinner, has a steak and a glass of wine. The attack will usually occur in the morning. The pain is so bad that it even hurts when the bed sheat touches the affected area. Some joints that are affected are the first MTP (The joint behind the big toe), the ankle, knee, wrist, fingers, and sometimes (to a lesser extent) the hips and elbows. Never mix alcohol with meats, as this will almost always give you a gout attack.
There are very simple ways to avoid having an acute gouty attack beside watching your diet. There is a drug called "Allopurinal" which is prescribed for underexcretors (remember, most people with gout are underexcretors). Taken daily, it will prevent an attack, and the medicine is fairly safe. Once an attack occurs, you need to take either Colchicine or Indometahcin. Most physicians are very conservative with their colchicine prescription and will order one tablet (0.6 mg) every four hours. I think that one tablet every two hours until a maximum of 10 has been ingested is a better way to cure the attack. Of course, if the patient gets nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, then they have to stop taking colichicine. A side note: Aspirin taken in low doses will sometimes cause an acute gout attack. Aspiring taken in high doses is a treatment for gout. Go figure. Good luck and avoid having more than three attacks per year, because the damage caused to the joint will give you gouty arthritis. This is worse than most other types of arthritis.
