Gout Symptom Risks - 9 Indicators For Gout You Should Watch For
If you’re afraid of developing gout and want to try and prevent getting infected with this ancient condition, then you should know about some common gout symptom risk factors. Signs of this form of arthritis come in many guises. Keep reading to discover 9 risk indicators that can increase your chances of developing gout.
Gout is most common in men ages 40-50. But it can also affect post-menopausal women and people who suffer from:
- disease of the kidneys
- obesity
- having diabetes
- hardened arteries due to high fat in the bloodstream (called hyperlipidemia)
- high blood pressure,
or people who’ve undergone organ transplant surgery.
A family history of gout is one of the most common gout symptom risk factors. More than 18% of gout sufferers say they have a family member or several who’ve also had gout. This passing down from generation to generation usually happens because of weaker organs (such as the kidneys), or food and meal recipes that are high in purines being distributed to newer generations.
Other signals for gout you should watch out for are:
- exposure to lead
- drinking a lot of alcohol (which can lead to a condition called hyperuricemia, which is high levels of uric acid in the bloodstream), and
- enzymes in the body that are defective and interfere with your body’s ability to break down purines
The first gout symptom you’ll experience when you get your first attack is a painful, swollen, shiny red toe (usually the big toe). It may seem like a small thing at first, but if it’s left untreated it’ll get progressively more painful until you can’t bear to wear a sock or have a bed sheet touch it. You’re also more likely to suffer from more and longer gout attacks in the future (your first attack will last from a few days to a couple of weeks). Other joints, like elbows and ankles, can get affected in these subsequent attacks too.
If these risk factors turn a potential gout attack into a reality for you, you can take medications with ibuprofen (like Motrin or Advil) or try home remedies (like cold or warm towels wrapped around the aching joint) to get pain relief. But in order to prevent future attacks, you must seek treatment as soon as possible.
