What Can Help Gout?

Gout is characterized by high levels of uric acid in the bloodstream. A painful condition that affects the cartilage of the joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues, gout occurs when crystals of uric acid are deposited in these areas, which causes acute arthritis and can lead to chronic inflammation. Gout treatments aim to prevent acute attacks of gout, manage the symptoms of attacks that occur, and lower your levels of serum uric acid.

Treating Acute Attacks

• According to the Arthritis Research Campaign, several over-the-counter medications, especially nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen, are effective in easing the pain of a gout attack. (Do not use aspirin, which can make gout worse.) Basic home remedies like icing the affected joint can also help. Steroid drugs, such as oral glucocorticoids or injections of intra-articular glucocorticoids, can be administered by your health care provider. Prescription medications such as colchicine are the preferred treatment if you do not obtain relief from oral glucocorticoids.

Preventing Acute Attacks

• You can prevent gout attacks with a variety of medications. Xanthine-oxidase inhibitors, uricosurics, and urate oxidases are widely used for this purpose. Probenecid, a uricosuric drug that helps your body excrete excess uric acid, is often prescribed for gout in conjuction with colchicine. Allopurinol, a xanthine-oxidase inhibitor that blocks uric acid production, is widely used in the prevention of attacks of gout; febuxostat is normally used after allopurinol. If you suffer from sleep apnea as well as gout, apnea treatment may also lessen your acute gout attacks.

Lowering Uric Acid

• Your diet should be low in fat and in protein to help lower the uric acid levels in your blood. Fatty and protein-rich foods are high in purines, which produce urates in the body. According to the National Institutes of Health, Vitamin C can help reduce the risk of gout, and a 2004 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that consumption of dairy products can also help protect against the condition. Foods such as tart cherries and celery extracts, as well as the flavonoid dietary supplement quercetin, are effective in reducing uric acid. The Normative Aging Study has demonstrated that reducing your intake of purines can significantly lower serum levels of uric acid. Since obesity can be a contributing factor in gout, avoid foods high in fructose and sucrose.