Gout, also called metabolic arthritis, is a complex disorder which can affect men and women, but more men are affected. Women are more susceptible to gout after menopause. Gout usually affects the large joint of your big toe, but also in your feet, joints, knees, hands and wrists. Gout is treatable and there are ways to reduce the risk also.

The symptoms are always acute, occurring suddenly at night and without any warning, intense joint pain and inflammation with swollen, tender and red joints.

Gout is caused by an accumulation of uric acid in joints, tendons, ligaments causing excruciating pain in the respective areas. The source of uric acids is:

It is our body’s natural antioxidant when food source of antioxidants are low and if necessary the body produces its own uric acid.
As a bye product of the metabolism of purine and pyrimidine bases of high protein foods and drinks

Side effects of drugs in the increase of uric acid:

If you are on diet, then uric acid is elevated and this could be used to control the persons about their diet.

The important risk factors are the intake of food that is extremely rich in proteins, e. g. persons who eat everyday three times lot of fish and the side effects of the drugs which produce excess of uric acid.

Inform your doctor everything about your other sicknesses as well as the drugs including the over-the-counter drugs because the drugs to reduce uric acid concentrations in the blood may for e. g. increase blood pressure or blood sugar as their side effects. Your doctor has to decide which drug is good in which dose.

The best life style to reduce the risk is to reduce your consumption of animal protein, avoid alcoholic beverages and drink plenty of water, four to five litres where 70% must be normal, pure drinking water.

Coffee and vitamin C can lower the uric acid level in blood, cherries can also help to reduce, it may be because these dark cherries have lot of antioxidants, and thus our body need not produce more uric acid as an antioxidant to safeguard it.

Excessive uric acid in the blood may create urate kidney stones also. It is also one of the main reasons to kidney failure.