What is the Cause of Gout?

Do you know what gout is or what the cause of gout is? Not many people do unless they get it themselves. Basically gout is a painful, arthritis like, condition of the joints. Most of the people who get it will end up getting it in their big toe first. One of the main reasons it strikes here first in so many cases is the pressure that this joint takes and also it is the lowest point of the body. The uric acid will tend to pool and build up here.

The cause of gout is too much uric acid in your blood. Uric acid is formed by the breakdown of chemicals called purines. Purines will lead to high levels of uric acid, which will cause different problems such as joint swelling and kidney stones. For most people the uric acid will be dissolved into the blood and then it is passed out through the kidneys into the urine. However, this isn't always the case because people who get gout will have a buildup in your body that will cause crystals to deposit and that is the root cause of gout.

There are other factors that also come into play as the cause gout. Here are some of them.

One: Some genetic diseases will affect the breakdown of uric acid and this will cause it to build up in your body.

Two: Exposure to lead

Three: High animal protein foods

Four: Some medications such as diuretics or aspirin

Five: Obesity

Six: Excess alcohol

Seven: Foods that is high in purines. Foods you want to avoid are the organ meats of animals such as the liver, brain and kidneys. Other foods to avoid are herring, anchovies, peas and dried beans.

Eight: People who have had an organ transplant are more likely to get gout.

Nine: The vitamin Niacin can be the cause of gout also.

Ten: Low carbohydrate diets - you want to make sure that you drink plenty of water, especially when you are eating a high protein diet because if you don't then you have a much better chance of getting gout.

Eleven: Family history

All of these things can be a determining factor in the cause of gout. You want to avoid them whenever you can. The best thing you can do is to stay informed about gout and the causes of it. This way you will have a much better chance of not developing gout or, at the very least, making it much less painful if you do have it. Gout doesn't have to rule your life if you know what to do and what not to do.