Why Not Talk About Urate?

Fastidious readers of my summaries of gout research studies might have noticed that whenever urate is mentioned, I almost always change it to uric acid. This is *not* because I think that they are the same thing. It is because, for the layman, for the average gout sufferer, i.e. for 99% of visitors to GoutPal, they can be treated as the same. I believe that gout sufferers have enough to worry about without having to learn lots of new terms. It is good to understand the inner workings of gout. Knowledge is power, and if you understand how gout works, you are better placed to control it. However, as a medical problem, we are up against the intricacies of biochemistry and human biology. Some of these processes are very complicated, with every other word an unfamiliar medical or biological term. Before I continue, I should explain that I have written this article in response to an off-topic comment on another thread. I...
Read More

Gout In Wrist

Gout in wrist was first discussed here in Oct 2011. The member is no longer active, but his story lives on, helping other people who wonder if you can get gout in your wrist. If you are worried about a gouty wrist, you should know that it is quite common. You can see from my survey of joints affected by gout, that 26% of people suffer gout in the wrist, or other part of the hand, excluding the index finger. So, the main thing that gout sufferers need to know is that gout can affect any joint, including wrists. The story of our GoutPal member will remind you that everyone is unique. Symptoms of gout in the wrist can vary from person to person. You can see later discussions of gouty wrists in my Can you get gout in your wrist index. At the end of this article, I will help you find gout in the wrist treatments that suit your particular...
Read More

Gout Attack on the Scalp

About a week ago I start having bump/swelling on my head at first there just two small spot, the next day it was all over the left side of my heads and my lymph nodes on the neck, back of the ears and back of my head start hurting so much not to mention the bump on my head. Its so tender and itchy, at first I thought I must have an infection maybe something bite me. So I went to my doctor and get some lab work done. He said I have gout and my Uric Acid is 9.1 mg/dl. Have anyone else got this symptoms before? I tried to search but I could not find any information that is related to gout attack on the scalp on the head. I'm really afraid, what if this not gout but something worse. Ethnicity: Asian Sex: Male Height: 5'8 Weight: 250lbs Main Diet: Meat,Poultry and Fish... Very few Dairy or vegetables. I'm not sure if this relevant...
Read More
How Bad Are Your Feet Tophi

How Bad Are Your Feet Tophi

These images are from a summary of a new case study about tophi in the left foot. This ties in with a recent review of unusual tophi presentation (search for occupational gout) The working title of my summary is How Bad Can Feet Tophi Get? I think you'll understand the title better once you see the images, but first the abstract. Feet Tophi Case Report: Abstract Title:Multiarticular chronic tophaceous gout with severe and multiple ulcerations: a case report. Authors:Falidas E, Rallis E, Bournia VK, Mathioulakis S, Pavlakis E, Villias C. Published:J Med Case Rep. 2011 Aug 19;5:397. In my summary, I will use laymans terms to explain the medical terms and issues. Multiarticular means affecting many joints. Click to read the Feet Tophi gout case study...
Read More

What are your Gout Causes?

On many levels, gout causes are simple. It is simply excess uric acid that causes gout. I've recently started reorganizing my gout causes pages, and I want to make sure I have not missed any. Also, there has not been much discussion of gout causes recently, so this is the place to discuss any aspects of the causes of gout. Please note that I am not particularly interested here in what causes a single gout flare. I am interested in the underlying causes of gout. My list so far is: Kidney disease Surgery Leukemia, lymphoma, or hemoglobin disorders Medical conditions that cause rapid weight change (increase or decrease) Medications for other health conditions Exposure to lead and other metal salts Can you think of others? What are your feelings on obesity? I believe that diet can play a part, and I would add that starvation, dehydration, and malnutrition can also affect gout. I am certainly not interested in specific foods, but have you ever cured gout by completely stopping a...
Read More

What Happened To Your Test For Gout?

I am compiling a test for gout list, to include all the different tests that gout patients undergo. Usually, they are tests of your gout symptoms to help your doctor determine a diagnosis of gout or something else. Some of these tests should continue through your gout treatment - after all, gout treatment is supposed to reduce your gout symptoms, and repeat tests will show if this is true or not. Speaking of which, earlier today I reported on a new attempt to develop a test to measure when gout is finally controlled. This is mainly a test for doctors to measure the effectiveness of the treatment plan. However, most gout sufferers would be very interested in getting the closest thing a gout patient can get to an "all-clear." I will add the complete lists of gout tests that I have heard of soon. As well as the well known medical tests, I will cover patient assessment tests, which are a relatively new...
Read More

Terrors Of Tophi

Gouty tophi (singular = tophus) are lumps of uric acid crystals. They frequently form under the skin after prolonged uric acid over 6.8mg/dL. As uric acid crystals form, our white blood cells attack the invading crystals, so tophi are a mass of crystals and dead cells. Over time, these become harder, and can reduce mobility or burst through the skin, risking infection. Tophi will slowly shrink when uric acid is below the crystallization point. They shrink faster when uric acid is lower. Modern uricase treatments, such as Krystexxa (pegloticase) shrink tophi fastest. Often, gout patients have to resort to surgery, though I have seen one video where this is simply because the doctor had no idea what uric acid levels should be. See tophi discussions, old and new...
Read More