Men's Gout

As you grow older, it is only natural that you become more vulnerable to sicknesses, diseases, disorders, and other health issues. As a man aged 40 and above, one of the most common disorder you can acquire is Gout. This is an ailment wherein some of your joints suffer from severe and sudden pain, warmth, redness, and swelling. In most cases, your big toe is the one that suffers pain every night.

The disorder occurs when you produce more uric acid than usual. This substance is then created after your bodily functions break down the purines or the waste products inside you. Some causes of gout are eating too many kinds of foods, consuming too much amount of alcohol, crash diets, chemotherapy, joint injury, surgery, and severe or sudden illnesses. In some cases, gout can also be inherited or can be a result of a different illness.

Even though older men are more likely to acquire gout, women at their menopausal stages are also prone to this disease. For this reason, it is better if you visit your doctor regularly.

If your wondering how gout is diagnosed, the doctor usually conducts a physical exam on you or checks your medical history. For other purposes, he or she measures your uric acis through a blood test. It is also necessary to conduct a joint fluid test in order to check uric acid crystals inside the body.

When it comes to treating gout, you do not have to spend so much. Most doctors will only advise you to change your diet. He or She might tell you that it is never to late to start changing your unhealthy diet. Also, medications such as NSAIDs, corticosteroids, Colchicine, Probenecid, and Sulfinpyrazone. If you are still not cured, then surgery may be the doctor's last resort. Do not worry, only a few people with gout have to undergo surgery to get treated.