Gout: Disease of Kings now a 21st Century Epidemic - News-Medical.Net
Gout: causal factors and symptoms Transformation of gout from the disease of kings to a common 21st century disease Genetic links to gout Treatment and prevention of gout References Further reading Around 3 million Americans have gout, an extremely painful arthritic condition. Historically, gout was called the "disease of kings" because it was thought to manifest due to overindulgence in food and alcohol. Scientists discovered that although some food products can exacerbate the condition, it occurs due to a higher concentration of uric acid (urate) in the blood, i.e., hyperuricemia. The uric acid crystals accumulate in the joints, which induces inflammation and triggers acute pain. Image Credit: sumroeng chinnapan/Shutterstock.com Gout: causal factors and symptoms Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis which causes swelling, redness of the skin, and extreme pain in the joints of the knees, ankle, and big toes. It can also occur in the wris...