So we have seen about purines and how they affect the uric acid levels. But what are the underlying reasons for this?

Root causes of gout:

Rapid weight loss
Starvation

Injury
Surgery
Infection

Medications

Chronic lead exposure and lead-contaminated alcohol
uromodulin-associated kidney disease (UMOD)

Sleep Apnea

I have grouped these into semi-related groups so that they can be addressed more in depth

Rapid weight loss and Starvation

These are related in that when the body loses weight in a quick manner, the cells die off and are processed back into nutrients. This causes an elevated level of purines to be released into the system. While it is very important to maintain a healthy weight when suffering from gout, it is important to not over do your diet so as to lose weight too quickly. And of course, with all weight loss programs, one should always talk to your doctor. He can provide guidance, as well as the checkup you may need before starting out. After all, if you are a chronic gout sufferer, you probably haven't done much exercise recently. I know I sure hadn't!

Injury/Surgery/Infection

All of these can lead to localized damage to a joint which would make it more susceptible to arthritis in all its forms, including gout. For injury and surgery the most you can reasonably do is to give the proper rest and care. With any infection, it should be treated in an appropriate manner. However, I fear that once you have this type of damage there isn't much you will be able to really do about it.

Medications

Drugs, legal or illegal, can cause all manner of problems. And ironically, medicines specifically for gout can cause a flare up. It is said that the reason for this is the rapid reduction of uric acid is the reason that the flare up happens. One is also warned not to start uric acid reducing medicines while having a flare up as they can make it worse.

Lead exposure and kidney disease

The kidneys are the organ that removes the uric acid from your system. If they are impaired, perhaps because of a toxin like lead, or due to kidney disease, such as uromodulin-associated kidney disease or reduced kidney function as witnessed in those with some level of kidney failure, the amount of uric acid they will be able to remove will be reduced. If your kidneys are indeed operating at reduced efficiency, work with your doctor to address the situation. Additionally, those afflicted with gout are more likely to have kidney stones.

Sleep Apnea

Not something that most would think connected. Sleep apnea can be a root cause of gout because a person with sleep apnea stops breathing during the night. This causes cells to become oxygen starved and release purines into the bloodstream. Fortunately, there are many more options now than the dreaded sleep apnea mask. Find someone locally who deals with snoring and sleep apnea and talk to them about treatment options such as somnioplasty. With somnioplasty you are in and out in the same day on a nearly painless out-patient procedure. If you suspect you might have sleep apnea, get it checked out. It can cause gout, but also affects many other things and puts you at a greater risk of heart attacks and stroke along with a host of other rather horrible things. A Seattle area medical practice that deals with snoring and sleep apnea, among other things, check out NorthWest Face


Also check out this list of purine containing foods