Gouty arthritis occurs when a person has a high level of uric acid in the body. This usually happens when a person has a gout disorder. Your body produces uric acids by breaking down purines. This is a substance naturally occurring in the body but may also be found in meats, anchovies, asparagus and mushrooms.

What happens when one has gout is that urate crystals are formed and it builds up in the person's joints. This causes excessive swelling and pain for the patient. There are many types of arthritis but this arthritis only results from this uric acid imbalance.

What puts you at risk?

There are many factors that might lead you to develop this disorder. Lifestyle factors, such as heavy drinking as defined by more than two drinks of alcohol a day for men and more than one drink for women, may significantly increase your likelihood to develop gout and arthritis.

Medical factors such as having diabetes, hypertension or even high cholesterol in your blood can make you develop high levels of uric acid. Unfortunately, the drugs that you take to cure you of your other diseases may also lead to gouty arthritis. Thiazide diuretics are drugs that improve blood pressure. This kind of medication is known to have the side effect of increasing uric acid levels.

Age and sex are also important factors that could predict if you would develop gouty arthritis. Men are generally more prone to this disorder than women. However, after the age of menopause, women are found to have increased chances of becoming ill with this.

A family history of gout may increase your chances of developing this disease. If you have a family member who has this disorder, it would be wise to avoid food with cholesterol, drinking alcohol and other avoidable risk factors so that the possibility of you getting gouty arthritis may go down.

Treatment

The main treatment for this disorder is oral medication. One could take non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS that can be bought over the counter. There are patients who may require a higher dosage for their pain. You would have to consult with a physician and he or she would give you a prescription for higher dosages or stronger NSAIDS.

Another specific type of oral medication is colchicines. This is usually given to those who have a more advanced case. If a patient shows improvement with NSAIDS, colchicines are avoided because of their known side effects.

As for those who cannot take NSAIDS or colchicines, steroids are prescribed. This can be directly injected in the joint and instant relief may be experienced. Swelling may also be reduced.

Unfortunately, this cannot be used for a long period of time due to the known side effects. Steroids can make the bones thin and brittle. Moreover, prolonged usage would make the person experience prolonged wound healing.

The important thing to remember is that prevention is better than cure. Keep in mind the risk factors so that you can avoid exposing yourself to higher possibilities of getting sick.