Study: Gout flare-ups rise sharply with certain foods

Found a good article. This one actually includes some hard numbers for once on how much purines were consumed which can help us gout sufferers to know what our own limits might be.

Meat, seafood and other foods rich in compounds called purines are associated with a fivefold increased risk of immediate gout flare-ups, a new study shows.

Gout is a form of arthritis that often first occurs in the big toe. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that purine-rich foods can trigger gout attacks, but it hasn't been clear whether they cause immediate attacks.

The study included more than 600 patients with gout, most of whom were men and who had an average age of 54. The patients were followed for a year. During that time, the patients had a total of nearly 1,250 gout attacks, most of which occurred in the toe joints, said Dr. Yuqing Zhang and colleagues at the Boston University School of Medicine.

The average amount of dietary purines consumed during a two-day period without gout attacks was 1.66 grams, compared with 2.03 grams in the two days before an attack, according to a journal news release. Patients in the top 20 percent of purine consumption were nearly five times more likely to have a gout flare-up than those in the bottom 20 percent.

See study here

Also, check out this list of purine containing foods

Ease Arthritis Pain

Easing Arthritis Pain

One of the most commonly used arthritis medications is a category called NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce both pain and inflammation. Popular over-the-counter NSAIDs include naproxen sodium, as well as ibuprofen, both of which are available under a wide variety of retail "store-brand" labels.

"Pain and swelling have a serious impact on quality of life for many arthritis patients," says Dr. John Tower, president and medical director of Arthritis Physicians LLC in Rochester Hills, Mich. "In combination with other therapies, NSAIDs like naproxen sodium and arthritis pain-relieving topical ointments can provide some symptomatic relief, and therefore can be an important part of a patient's treatment plan."

More information on treatments for arthritis at Southeast Sun

Gout Treatment maker expanding

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (4502), Asia’s largest drugmaker, agreed to buy closely held Multilab Industria e Comercio de Productos Farmaceuticos Ltda. for 500 million reais ($246 million) to gain a sales network in Brazil.

Multilab, based in Sao Paulo, has a well established distribution network of regional wholesalers and small- to mid- size independent pharmacies in emerging regions of the country, according to the statement. This is the second acquisition announced by Takeda this year after it agreed last month to buy closely held URL Pharma Inc. to gain a new gout treatment.

See Bloomberg for the remainder of the article about this pharmaceutical which makes gout treatments.

Gout Joke

A gout joke

Sam Weinstein and Patrick Simpson are sharing a hospital room because they both have gout in one of their legs. Gout is a very painful condition, so when the doctor walks in and begins to examine Patrick (who isn’t Jewish), he begins to scream and cry in pain as the doctor handles his leg.

Then the doctor goes over to the Jewish patient, Sam, and begins to examine his leg, but Sam doesn’t make a sound.

When the doctor finishes the examination and leaves, Patrick says to Sam, “You are the strongest, most stoic person I have ever met. To be in that much pain and not cry out is truly the greatest demonstration of the silent acceptance of suffering that I have ever witnessed.”

Sam smiles and says, “Actually, I can’t stand pain at all — that’s why I gave the doctor my good leg to look at.”

Yeah, a gout flare up isn't really a laughing matter, but its good to laugh, even when having a gout attack.

Stages of Gout

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) there are four stages of gout:

• Asymptomatic (without symptoms) hyperuricemia

• Acute gout, or acute gouty arthritis

• Interval or intercritical gout

• Chronic tophaceous gout

Tophaceous Gout

“Chronic tophaceous gout. This is the most disabling stage of gout. It usually develops over a long period, such as 10 years. In this stage, the disease may have caused permanent damage to the affected joints and sometimes to the kidneys."
Continue article at Empowher

I wonder if tophaceous is the stage I was at? I was blessed from time to time with a day or two where I had almost no pain or stiffness. But this was usually when it was transferring to a different joint. I am very fortunate that I never had gout in more than one joint at a time. It would switch from right to left and back again. And when it got my knees, it was just one knee at a time and no other joint.

Been gout free for over a year now and I ain't going back!

New Funding For Gout Sufferers

Funding for "gout capital of the world"

Arthritis New Zealand welcomes the new $6 million Pacific Innovation Fund, aimed at improving the health of Pasifika people.

Chief Executive Sandra Kirby says gout is a significant health issue for New Zealand’s Pasifika people.

“Gout is one of the most common forms of arthritis, and it is often said to be the most painful. Data from one primary health organisation in South Auckland shows that nearly 15 per cent of Pacific men have been diagnosed with gout. In fact, New Zealand has been called the ‘gout capital of the world’.

Read more at Scoop

Good news for those suffering from gout, and I second it being the most painful!

How to ease arthritis pain

For the 50 million American adults currently suffering from arthritis, symptom management is the name of the game. Although it's the leading cause of disability in the U.S., and the second most frequently reported chronic condition, there are currently no cures for the family of musculoskeletal disorders known as arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Therefore, arthritis treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and improving joint function.

The most common forms of arthritis include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout and fibromyalgia.

Traditionally, the common signs and symptoms of arthritis (literally meaning "joint inflammation") may include joint pain, stiffness, swelling, redness and a decreased range of motion. There are numerous types of arthritis - more than 100 in all - and therefore many treatments, including prescription and over-the-counter medications, physical therapy, lifestyle and home remedies, surgery and alternative medicine. Many arthritis sufferers will benefit from some combination of these options.

Click on the Las Vegas Review to read the remainder of the article How to ease arthritis pain