What causes gout and who are at risks of having one are two of the most common questions people with gout ask. Most often than not, they are concerned of how they were able to have been inflicted with such disease – hereditary, lifestyle or otherwise. Further knowledge of such can speed up the treatment or prevent it from happening again.
Uric acids are normally formed in the body from the breakdown of cells and proteins, and are released in the bloodstream. They normally don't stay in the body for too long as they are dissolved in the blood and are then flushed out by the kidney. When there is too much uric acid in the blood because the kidney could hardly flush them out, uric acid crystals may be collected in the joints, skin, soft tissues or in the kidney itself. The collection of uric acid crystals in the joints may then cause gout.
The following may cause gout:
1. Genetics – Your genes would play a great role in maintaining the level of uric acids and other hormones and electrolytes in your body. Your genes would affect the over-production and excretion of uric acid out of the body. According to eMedicineHealth:
* If your parents have gout, you may have a 20% chance of developing it
* British people are five times more likely to develop gout.
* American blacks, but not African blacks, are more likely to have gout than other populations
2. Gender - Uric acid levels increase at puberty in men and at menopause in women. In women, the estrogen plays a big role in keeping uric acid levels down. So when women hit menopause, their estrogen levels will decrease thus increasing their uric acid levels.
3. Food, beverage and drug intake - Beverages such as tea, coffee, cocoa, and especially alcohol in any form lead to extra water loss from the body, which can cause an attack. Certain high-protein foods can make the body produce too much uric acid. Some medications can affect the kidneys' ability to get rid of uric acid out of the body and some can also cause elevated uric acid levels in the blood which can lead to gout.
4. Presence of certain diseases like leukemia, lymphomas and hemoglobin disorders can lead to excessive production of uric acid in the body.
People who are highly at risk of having gout are the :
1. Overweight - Being overweight can lead to excess uric acid production. Most overweight individuals don’t exercise, thus they don’t drink water as much as fit people do. Therefore, they don’t flush out the acid as much as they should. In fact, they love to eat unhealthy foods and are less likely to do physical activities that can intensify their metabolism which can then increase their intake of water.
2. Drinking too much alcohol - alcohol in any form lead to extra water loss from the body and can cause hyperuricemia.
3. Eating too much meat and fish – Meats and fish are purine-rich foods. When purines have been broken down completely they will form Uric acid. Eating too much purine-rich foods will then increase the level of uric acid in your body.
4. Have had trauma – When there is trauma in the body, there is breakdown of cells. Breakdown of cells will form uric acid. The bigger the trauma, the more cells are broken down, thus increase the level of uric acid in the body.
5. Have abnormal kidney function – The abnormal kidney function will result to low urine output, can increase the risk of developing gout. Abnormality in the kidney function will affect in flushing out of the uric acid from the body.
6. Taking Certain Medications – Certain Medications such as thiazide diuretics, low-dose and salicylates ,cyclosporine, Niacin, Levodopa, Aminophylline, Medications to treat tuberculosis and high blood can increase uric acid level in the body.
Your genes, gender, medicinal intake and present disease condition can greatly affect your uric acid level in the body which causes gout. Knowing the cause and who are at risk of having gout will help warn us to be more vigilant with our body. Keep a tight watch of your lifestyle so as to avoid further damages and complications emerging from gout.
