Joint pain can be a sign of gout

An increasing number of patients with gout at the age of 30. The disease easily confused with other joint diseases, difficult to diagnose.

Gout is a metabolic disorder that leads to increased uric acid in the blood. The consequence of this process is the deposition of urate crystals in the joints and salt in the body tissues. Most diseases arise in the age 40 to 60, but in recent years, a growing number of patients in their 30s.

Dr Ho-Pham Thuc Lan, Dean musculoskeletal, 115 People's Hospital said, when it was discovered, gout is simile is "rich illness" or "disease of kings" because patients are often wealthy, but this view is wrong, because in fact, any other economic sectors as well gout. B ENH pain, decrease or loss of labor productivity, motor function.

More than 90% of cases of gout is primary, ie unexplained, 10% are secondary to other diseases or medications. It is more common in men than in women. The disease usually arises after use diuretics, anti-labor, aspirin ... or after renal disease, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, lipid metabolism disorders, malignant hematopoietic organs.

Urate crystals in synovial fluid causes gout polarizing microscope.

Disease onset is usually sudden in a match, the most common are 1 foot joints of the toes, elbows, knees, ankles. Pain usually at night, the intensity increased in 24-48 hours, and may include fever, chills. Joints affected markedly swollen red hot. Without treatment, the disease lasts for several days and then go away completely, there may be itching and flaking skin flakes in the affected joint. More later stage arthritis or longer, does not go away, the distance between the waves increasingly shorter, the arthritis attacks occur consecutively gradually lead to chronic gout, as indicated by the presence of tophi, nature is the deposition of urate crystals in the joints around the software, together with sequelae stiffness, deformity, loss of motor function.

The disease is on the rise rapidly in recent years. According to the internal medicine musculoskeletal People's Hospital 115, gout accounts for approximately 10% of patients treated at the Department joints. Due to the economic life of society development, lifestyle and eating habits of people in recent years has tended to change, moving from eating vegetables to eat more meat, cooked foods and sedentary. Besides, why should meet with partners, alcoholic beverages are becoming common, making the incidence of the disease is increasing.

Dr. Shu Lan, h au gout diagnosis of all present at the health facilities in the city are based on the concentration of uric acid in the blood. However, not all cases of uric acid in the blood is increased in patients with gout. Uric acid is a product of protein metabolism, so when we eat protein foods may increase the concentration of substances in the blood. However, not only urate crystals in synovial fluid caused new arthritis level, the type of calcium pyrophosphate crystals of calcium as well cause symptoms like gout disease called pseudo gout. This explains the test case normal uric acid in the blood, but still have symptoms of gout.

Dr. Lan stressed that the current polarization microscopy is the only method that can help ease discovered urate crystals in synovial fluid from which can give an accurate diagnosis of most gout.

Some notes in the treatment

- As with other metabolic disorders, the first step in the treatment of gout is to change eating habits and activities to reduce the risk factors. Limit animal protein foods include red meat, fish, shellfish, heart, liver, kidney, brain, duck eggs ..., limiting alcohol intake, mobility, reduce weight.

- Need medications as directed by your doctor to control the phase acute arthritis, lower blood uric acid and maintained at levels permitted under control of comorbid conditions. To reduce inflammation in the treatment of acute gout may phase selectable current drugs such as colchicine, NSAIDs, corticosteroids systemic or local, depending on the location of each person.

- In order to lower blood uric acid and maintained at levels allowed, use of drugs that reduce uric acid synthesis, such as allopurinol, befuxostat, pegloticase or the drug increases uric acid waste from the body, such as probenecid or sulfinpyrazone .

- Always need better control of comorbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, lipid metabolism disorders.