LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Gout: Joints
built 238 days ago
Gout is an inflammation of the joints that affects more than half a million Americans each year. People with gout usually have intense pain and swelling in the joints. The tragedy of Gout is that even though new herbal treatments have made it possible to effectively treat it, many people don't take any action till its too late. If not treated, gout attacks can become increasingly frequent and painful. Well over 70% of gout sufferers undergo conventional gout treatments each year without researching all their options and their potential risks.
Source:
Gout is one of the most painful rheumatic diseases. It results from deposits of needle-like crystals of uric acid in the connective tissue, joint spaces, or both. These deposits lead to inflammatory arthritis, which causes swelling, redness, heat, pain, and stiffness in the joints. Arthritis is a term that is often used to refer to the more than 100 different rheumatic diseases that affect the joints, muscles, and bones, and may ... affect other connective tissues. Gout accounts for about 5 percent of all cases of arthritis. Pseudogout, also a crystal-induced arthritis, is a condition with similar symptoms that results from deposits of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals in the joints.
Source:
Gout usually only affects one joint at a time (sometimes two) - most often the feet and ankles. The joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site. If there is no treatment the gout attack usually subsides in a week or so. After the first attack there may be intervals of many months or even years before there are other attacks. Over time these attacks tend to become more frequent and more severe and eventually may involve other and more joints. Eventually, without treatment, a state of chronic or continuous joint symptoms may develop with progressive joint damage.
Source:
Gout usually attacks a single joint suddenly and intensely. Gouty joints show the most visibly red signs of inflammation of any type of arthritis. An initial attack of gout may last several days and disappear even if untreated. Subsequent attacks may not occur for weeks, months, years, or not at all. In severe cases, repeated attacks occurring over a long period may cause damage to the joints and loss of mobility.
Source:
Gout is caused by abnormal metabolism of substances called purines that result in the accumulation of uric acid in the blood stream. Purines are a by-product of cell break down. When the excretion of the uric acid is hampered the accumulated uric acid in the blood stream causes crystalline deposits to form in joints or in the soft tissues. When this happens, there is a sudden onset of extreme pain with associated swelling, redness, and increased warmth to the skin or joint. Classic gout occurs in the big toe joint. It ... commonly occurs in the knee joint.
Source:
Gout is described as an inflammatory form of arthritis. It can cause feelings of sharp sudden pain in some joints, accompanied by redness, warmth, swelling, and tenderness. When most people think of gout, they think of how the big toe becomes swollen. It is common for the big toe to become affected, but there are other areas of the body that are ... commonly affected. These may include the wrists, knees, heels, ankles, fingers, and elbows. The instep may also be affected.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Joints