LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Gout: Swelling
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Gout is a syndrome caused by an inflammatory response to the formation of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals which develop secondary to hyperuricemia. Acute and chronic forms are recognized. Hyperuricemia may be due to environmental and/or genetic factors.
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Gout is a clinical syndrome resulting from the deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals in tissue from supersaturated extracellular fluid. Tissue deposition of urate leads to the accompanying inflammation and subsequent degeneration of joints and soft tissues.
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Gout affects close to one in 30 North Americans. Men are at least four times more likely to develop gout than women. Gout occurs more frequently in countries that have a high standard of living. Men who develop gout usually do so between the ages of 40 and 50. Women are more likely to develop gout after the age of 60.
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Gout is often diagnosed clinically, though several tests, including blood work and X-rays, are usually performed to confirm the diagnosis. The definitive diagnosis of gout is based on microscopic examination of fluid from an affected joint.
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Gout most commonly affects joints in the following areas: feet, ankles, hands, wrists, elbows, and knees. Less commonly affected areas include the sacroiliac, sternoclavicular, and shoulder joints. Also, gout rarely affects the hip and spine. One systemic area of involvement in gout involves the kidneys, as a result of crystal deposition with resulting sequelae
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Gout can develop in four stages. In the later stages of gout, hard deposits of crystals called tophi may develop as lumps under the skin around the joints. The crystals may ... collect in the kidneys and cause kidney stones.
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