What are the two types of gout?
There are 2 types of gout which are determined by its source. The two types are:
1) Idiopathic gout : It is inherited gout wherein the body over-produce or has reduced excretion of uric acid by the kidneys. It is not a result of any intake of substances.
2) Secondary gout : Is a type of gout caused by intake of products or substances like some cancer drugs, diuretics and foods that are high in uric acids.
What are the stages of gout?
It is important to know the stage of gout in order to determine which treatment to use for each. The following are the stages of gout:
Stage 1 - Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia – In this stage, a person with high level of uric acid in the body doesn’t feel any pain. The high level of uric acid is considered as harmless, but it is important to control the uric acid in order to stop the progression.
Stage2 - Acute Gout/Gout flare – In this stage, most of the attacks are first felt, because the uric acids have started to crystallize in the joints which lead to swelling of the joints and excruciating pain. This gout attack may awaken someone at night by the intense pain and swelling in the joint. The doctor will most likely recommend patients to take medications to manage the pain.
Stage3 - Intercritical Gout – This is the gap between gout attacks. The person with gout usually does not feel any pain in this stage. Though a person may not experience any pain, the uric acid crystal is still present in the joints. In this stage, it is important for uric acid to be monitored and kept to an acceptable level.
Stage4 - Chronic Tophaceous Gout - The stage of chronic arthritis. It is when uric acid crystal deposits have hardened (called “tophi”) and formed in joints causing joint inflammation and deformities.
How do you differentiate gout with other arthritis and arthritis like conditions?
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. Oftentimes, people interchange these types. The three most common arthritis are Gout, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a condition involving the cartilage of the joint. It occurs when a bone thickens to fix for the deterioration of the normally smooth cartilage making it rough with age. It commonly involves the knees, fingers and hips.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune and long lasting disease. It is a result of the body's own immune system mistakenly attacking the healthy organs of the body and the cartridge in the joints causing the joint lining to inflame. This can occur at any age, but is more common in the middle age. Infection, genes, and hormone changes may be linked to the disease
Another condition that is often wrongly identified as gout is Pseudogout.
Pseudogout (calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease) is a condition similar to gout because the two conditions are caused by the formation of crystal in the joint/s, but they differ in the type of crystals formed. Gout is caused by uric acid crystal formation while pseudogout is caused by calcium pyrophosphate crystal formation. In this condition your risk of having it increases with your age.
Most people have easily mistaken Gout with other types of arthritis mainly because they all are pain involving the joints in the body.So if you’re still wondering what gout is, simply go back to these facts. Sometimes it’s much better to be over-informed than to have none at all.
