{"id":9955,"date":"2025-05-21T20:37:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=9955"},"modified":"2025-05-21T20:37:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:37:03","slug":"gout-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/gout-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Gout"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9956 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1335850714-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Gout is a common, painful form of inflammatory arthritis. It is caused when the body\u2019s natural production of uric acid breaks down chemicals called purines found in certain foods and drinks. This causes sharp crystals to form in your joints, usually the big toe. Gout can also affect other joints, including the knees, ankles, feet, hands, wrists, and elbows.<\/p>\n<p>Gout symptoms can come and go in episodes called flare-ups or gout attacks. They can be very painful and can happen suddenly. During a gout attack, symptoms in the affected joints may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Intense joint pain<\/li>\n<li>Inflammation and redness<\/li>\n<li>Stiffness<\/li>\n<li>Swelling<\/li>\n<li>Tenderness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Healthcare providers usually diagnose gout based on the results of a physical exam, your symptoms, and the appearance of the affected joint. Tests to help diagnose gout may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A joint fluid test<\/li>\n<li>Blood tests<\/li>\n<li>X-ray imaging<\/li>\n<li>An ultrasound<\/li>\n<li>An MRI<\/li>\n<li>Dual-energy computerized tomography (DECT)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Gout medications are available in two types and focus on two different problems. The first type helps reduce the inflammation and pain associated with gout attacks. The second type works to prevent gout complications by lowering the amount of uric acid in the blood.<\/p>\n<p>Which medication is right for you depends on the frequency and severity of your symptoms, and any other health problems you may have.<\/p>\n<p>Medications used to treat gout flare-ups and prevent future attacks include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)<\/li>\n<li>Colchicine<\/li>\n<li>Corticosteroids<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you experience several gout attacks each year, or if your gout attacks are less frequent but particularly painful, a healthcare provider may recommend medication to reduce your risk of gout-related complications. If you already have evidence of damage from gout on joint X-rays, or you have tophi, chronic kidney disease, or kidney stones, medications to lower the body\u2019s level of uric acid may be recommended.<\/p>\n<p>Medications are often the most effective way to treat gout attacks and prevent recurrent symptom flare-ups. However, lifestyle changes are also important. Lifestyle changes to help prevent gout include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Choosing healthier beverages<\/li>\n<li>Avoiding food high in purines<\/li>\n<li>Exercising regularly and losing weight<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are experiencing gout-related symptoms, visit Flushing Hospital Medical Center\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/clinical-services\/ambulatory-care\/\">Ambulatory Care Center<\/a>. To schedule an appointment, please call (718) 670-5486. If there is an emergency, please call 911.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page.   You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter.<strong>  PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.<\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gout is a common, painful form of inflammatory arthritis. It is caused when the body\u2019s natural production of uric acid breaks down chemicals called purines found in certain foods and drinks. This causes sharp crystals to form in your joints, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/gout-2\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,510,14,555,10,4],"tags":[2382],"class_list":["post-9955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-lifestyle","category-mens-health","category-nutrition-2","category-orthopedics","category-womens-health","tag-gout"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9957,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9955\/revisions\/9957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}