Do you have gout? Any joint can be affected but it usually involves the joints towards the ends of the limbs such as the ankles, knees, fingers, and the toes. These painful gout attacks can last days or weeks. Some people who have had gout attack may not get one again but studies show that 60 percent of people who have had one will get another flare-up in the future.
Can gout flare-ups be prevented?
There are ways to limit the possibility of future attacks but these are not fail-proof. Staying hydrated, drinking lots of water, limiting intake of high-protein food, alcohol, and sweetened beverages, managing your weight, can help lessen chances of gout attacks.
How does food affect gout?
Purine is a substance that is found naturally in food and drinks. When purines are digested, the body makes uric acid as a waste product. However, people with gout cannot efficiently remove the excess uric acid. So a diet high in purines may lead to uric acid buildup and cause a gout attack.
How are purines turned to uric acid?
The purine nucelotides adenine and guanine are broken down to form uric acid.
People who have difficulty metabolizing purines (such as those with gout or hyperuricemia) are advised to limit the consumption of high-purine food and drinks. If the level of purines in the body is more than the ability of the body to process them, too much uric acid builds up in the bloodstream. This condition is called hyperuricemia and aside from gout, this can also cause kidney stones. Normally, uric acid is disposed via the kidneys. The human body cannot oxidize uric acid to the more soluble compound allantoin due to the lack of uricase enzyme.
Uricase converts uric acid to allantoin, which is more soluble than uric acid and passes harmlessly from the body. Uricase is an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of uric acid to 5-hydroxyisourate and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Subsequent hydrolysis and decarboxylation leads to the formation of allantion. During evolution, humans have lost the ability to produce the enzyme uricase. This loss of uricase activity along with the lifestyle and eating habits of today renders humans prone to urate crystal deposition and gout.
How does uric acid cause a gout flare-up?
When the body has too much uric acid or if the kidneys excrete too little uric acid, the uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like urate crystals in a the joints that can cause pain, swelling, and inflammation.
Negative effects of gout on the heart, kidneys, joints
Some people may experience recurrent gout. If left untreated, there can be deposits of urate crystals under the skin nodules called tophi, commonly found in the fingers, hands, feet, Achilles tendon, and the backs of the ankles. Urate crystals may also collect in the urinary tract of people with gout, eventually causing kidney stones.
People with gout have also been found to have higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Hyperuricemia is associated with endothelial dysfunction, which may contribute to risk of heart disease.
How do medications help people with gout?
Gout medications can be used to treat acute flare-ups and prevent future gout attacks. Some can also reduce the risk of gout complications such as the development of tophi.
Medications that block uric acid production such as allopurinol (Aloprim) and febuxostat (Uloric) limit the amount of uric acid that the body makes to lower the blood uric acid levels. However, these can cause side effects such as reduced liver function and heart-related problems. Even with oral medication, people with uncontrolled gout can have a difficulty getting rid of uric acid.
Krystexxa works differently than the above oral gout medicines. Krystexxa is the only gout treatment that converts uric acid into water-soluble substance called allantoin. Allantion is very soluble and is readily excreted through urine. The uric acid level then reaches a point in which uric acid crystals can dissolve. New uric acid crystal buildup also stops forming, thus taking control of gout.
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If you have more than one flare up a year, it may be time to step up your gout treatment. Until now, nothing targeted the crystals in the joints of the big toe joint, hands, or knees quite like Krystexxa. 
Krystexxa is the only gout treatment that controls chronic gout by changing uric acid into a water–soluble substance called allantoin that your body easily gets rid of through urine. For those of you that have kidney disease and can’t take the usual gout medications, Krystexxa can treat your condition without harming your kidneys. Family Foot & Leg Center is one of the few Krystexxa Infusion Centers in Southwest Florida. If you have chronic gout, contact us to find out more information at (239) 430-3668 (FOOT) or visit NaplesPodiatrist.com
Family Foot and Leg Center has several Centers from Collier, Lee, & Charlotte Counties to quickly resolve all your foot and ankle problems.
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FFLC Downtown Naples 730 Goodlette Road, suite 102
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