What Causes Gout?

Understanding What Causes Gout

For many people, gout means one thing: PAIN. Some people with gout describe the pain of an attack as so excruciating that they cringe at the thought of putting a sheet over their foot at night, never mind putting on their shoes and walking around during the day. But many people don't know what actually causes this pain in the first place. If you have gout, it's a chronic form of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid in your blood.

The medical name for this uric acid buildup is hyperuricemia ('hi-per-'yuri-'seem-ee-uh); hyperuricemia is the root cause of gout. If you have gout, high uric acid can lead to more attacks.

Gout's Root Cause: Elevated Uric Acid Levels

Most people are able to rid their bodies of uric acid. But, if your body produces too much uric acid and/or has a difficult time getting rid of uric acid, it builds up in your blood to higher-than-healthy levels. If you have gout, high uric acid can lead to more attacks.

While limiting alcohol and certain foods is important, diet changes alone will not typically be enough to get rid of the buildup of uric acid to help reduce gout attacks.

If you have gout, high uric acid buildup can lead to more attacks. To help reduce gout attacks, lower your uric acid to a healthy level.
Learn about treatment for gout patients that helps lower uric acid levels

Uric Acid Crystals Cause Joint Pain

Over time, excess uric acid can form crystals that deposit in the joints, causing inflammation. This inflammation leads to the swelling and severe pain, tenderness, redness, and heat you know all too well as a gout attack.

What Triggers Gout Attacks?

It is hard to say exactly what triggers a gout attack. They sometimes occur for no apparent reason…other times, something may seem to trigger the attack. Gout attacks may be triggered by alcohol, certain medicines, another illness, stressful events, or other factors.

Other known gout triggers include:

• Joint injury
• Eating too much of certain foods
• Infection
• Surgery
• Crash diets
• Rapid lowering of uric acid levels with uric acid-lowering medicines
• Some cancer treatments

Still Not Convinced?

More on why lowering uric acid levels makes a difference for adults with gout

Once the pain of your attack passes, you probably want to forget about it as soon as possible…but that's not the best idea. Once you have a gout attack, you may not have another attack for months or even years. But very few people (only 7%) just have a single gout attack; most people experience a second attack within 6 months to 2 years of the first. Over time, gout attacks can become more frequent and severe, last longer, and affect one or more joints. That's why keeping your uric acid level low (less than 6 mg/dL) is the goal for long-term management of gout.