Gout is the most painful form of a rheumatic disease. First it attacks the joint from the big toe and then if it's not taken care of it may spread and affect other joints too.

Gout is the result of uric acid crystals that appear in the joints and cause them to inflammate, which leads to severe pain and swelling.

If you learn its symptoms you will be able to detect and treat it early, which will spare you of some painful gout attacks that occur during the night.
The first sign that appears is usually a red and swollen join that hurts a little in the beginning and then more and more until sometimes the pain is unbearable. In more than 90% of the cases the joint from the big toe is affected first, but other joints may be affected too.

Then after short time, gout attacks suddenly appear and they disappear as quickly as they appear. You have the impression that you are cured because the pain and the irritation isn't present anymore, but after a few more days another sudden attack will let you know that the illness is still present. The attacks will come more and more often if you don't treat your gout and they will last more time. The pain will also be more intense and several joints may be affected in the same time.

If you don't visit a doctor the gout will spread and uric acid crystals will form in other joints too. Among these, the most likely are the elbows and the ankles. If you don't lower the levels of uric acid from your body you may also get kidney stones.

You should seek medical attention as soon as you discover that one of your joints is red and swollen but you may discover that you are in fact suffering from pseudogout. The two diseases are similar, but pseudogout is caused by calcium not by uric acid. Calcium excess can also gather inside the joints and cause them to inflammate. Pseudogout is not as severe as gout and it's treated much easier.

If you've been diagnosed with gout you will have to take some medication that lowers the uric acid from your blood and you will also have to change your diet slightly, but if you follow your doctor's instructions you will completely get rid of your gout affection.

If you are intersted in finding more information about gout you can click on this website http://www.gout-info-center.com. Also you will find there valuable information about gout treatments and gout diet.

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