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Welcome to our newest Synutra Pure Vlog, “Gout and the Joint Health Connection” where we will be discussing a topic we have yet to touch upon. Gout, thanks to its name, is not often connected by individuals to arthritis. It has its own thing going on, right? Otherwise it would be called arthritis. This isn’t the case, however. Gout is actually a form of inflammatory arthritis that is known to be very painful to those who experience it. In this week’s vlog, we’ll be talking about what gout actually is, it’s connection to arthritis, what causes it, what kind of doctor you should see if you think you have symptoms, and what treatment and management options will look like. We’ve established that gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis, but beyond that what is it? Gout is known for its inflammation and flare ups, usually located in one joint at a time and most commonly seen impacting the joint of the big toe. Most often, gout expresses as a severe swelling in the big toe that is accompanied by pain, tenderness, and redness around the impacted area. It has moments of flare ups, but has also been known to go into remission for a time, giving patients symptom free breaks until the next flare. Repeated flares have been known to lead to gouty arthritis, a form of arthritis that grows progressively worse. So, the gout connection to arthritis is that it is it’s own form of arthritis and can lead to a more severe and related form as well. Flare ups from gout can last anywhere from days to weeks, and when it goes into remission it tends to be gone, but not forgotten. Periods of remission can run anywhere from weeks to months to years and, unfortunately, those who experience it once are likely to do so again. Gout is known for its rapid onset; when it comes, it comes fast and suddenly. The pain has been described as something akin to your toe being on fire, so if that is a sensation you have ever experienced please don’t hold off on speaking with your doctor. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 as we discuss gout causes, risk factors, symptoms, and the type of Doctor to see!  Welcome to Part 2 of our Vlog series on gout! Today we’ll be discussing causes of gout, risk factors, symptoms, and the type of Doctor to talk to! The usual causes of gout are fairly well identified, fortunately. There is something called uric acid in our bodies created by the breakdown of a substance known as purines, that can be found naturally occurring in our bodies or in some of the foods we eat. When there is too much uric acid in the body, urate crystals may form in the joints and other fluids or tissues leading to a condition called hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia doesn’t always cause gout but, when there is gout, it is because of hyperuricemia. Some purine-rich foods to be aware of if gout is on your mind are red meats and organ meats (liver and the like) along with seafoods like anchovies, trout, tuna, and sardines. Alcoholic beverages are also known to increase levels of uric acid. Gout risk factors are important to keep in mind as we go through life. Diet is one of the primary risk factors, as we’ve discussed with some of the purine rich foods we’ve talked about, but there are other aspects to keep an eye on. Weight is one risk factor, as are medical conditions like untreated high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, or heart and kidney conditions. Some medications may also be a risk factor, so be sure to tell your doctor what you take. Additionally, age and gender play a role. Gout is more prevalent in males, though post menopausal women may also have risk, and men tend to be at risk from age 30 onwards while women tend not to develop symptoms until after menopause when the uric acid levels reach a value closer to men’s. If you find yourself concerned about gout symptoms, a good starting point will always be talking to your primary care physician. If they think it is necessary, you will then be referred to a rheumatologist. Rheumatologists are doctors that specialize in gout and other forms of arthritis, and specialists are important when dealing with a condition like gout that can show symptoms and signs of other inflammatory diseases. It can be tricky to diagnose, so a good specialist can be a vital part of the process in figuring out what the issue is and how to deal with it. But how will they help you handle the condition? Thanks for watching, and be sure to check in tomorrow for Part 3 as we discuss what treatment and self-management of gout looks like!  Welcome back to Part 3 of our Vlog “Gout and the Joint Health Connection” as we cover what treatment and self-management may look like. Treatment of gout typically focuses on three things; managing the pain of flare ups, preventing flare ups in the future, and preventing the condition from developing any further. Managing gout flare pain is typically done with Nonsteroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen or naproxen sodium. If that isn’t cutting it, your doctor may make take the next step with a prescription steroid for their anti-inflammatory properties. Preventing future flare ups usually takes the form of managing your condition to the best of your ability. This will involve things like switching to a healthier diet, limiting alcohol intake, working to reduce weight, and changing medications that may increase risk. Beyond medical treatments, there are a ton of self-management options that we will discuss at length later. The final piece of the treatment plan, preventing further development, is done to limit the progression of the condition. Advanced gout may result in tophi nodules forming under the skin, urate crystal deposits that can form in the fingers, hands, elbows, feet, and achilles tendon. They tend not to be painful, but can be quite tender during flares. Kidney stones are an additional risk for gout patients, but there are medications that can help there. So what does self-management look like? First off, maintaining a healthy diet. Your doctor can work with you to create a plan, but it is up to the patient’s own determination and decisions to maintain a good diet. Beyond maintaining a healthy diet, the CDC recommends a five point plan for managing arthritis that also transfers well to the management of gout. The first step is to learn self management skills by talking to your doctor and seeking classes. A quick Google search of the term “CDC-Recommended Self-Management Education Programs” can lead you to programs that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reviewed and given an approval stamp to. Step two of self-management is to get physical. We mean this in a way that promotes physical activity and exercise, not a “corner gout in an alley and show it what for” sort of way. 150 minutes of activity per week is the recommended amount of physical activity. Moderate activity is recommended, though any is always better than none, in the form of bike riding, swimming, or long walks. Regular activity also lowers the risk of other health issues, so it is generally recommended for everyone whether they are concerned about gout or not. Join us again tomorrow as we wrap things up with Part 4! We’ll be finishing up our coverage on self-management, starting with step three, and wrapping things up.   Today is the final piece, Part 4, of our vlog series on gout. We’ll be finishing up our coverage on self-management, after we left off yesterday with step two, and wrapping things up! The third step is to talk with your doctor beyond the initial visit. Maintaining a strong, consistent, and open dialog is important for most medical conditions, but with a condition like gout it can be even more vital. Your doctor can help make sure you are following the plan correctly, can help you make adjustments to activities, diets, and medications in a safe way, and can help with the management of other conditions as well. Someone with gout and another condition like diabetes or heart disease will need to be especially careful about maintaining good communication with their doctor, to make sure everything is being addressed in the correct fashion. With step four, we’re back to losing weight. Weight loss is known to help reduce pressure on the joints and is especially important for maintaining the health of weight bearing joints like the knees or hips. Maintaining or attaining a healthy weight is a great method for slowing the progression of arthritis and can also help improve function and relieve pain. Every ounce you can take off a toe that feels like it’s on fire will be a good thing for gout patients. Finally, step five is to protect your joints. If you engage in the appropriate amounts of physical activity, you’ll want to do it with activities that are easy on the joints such as swimming, biking, or walking, rather than with high impact activities along the lines of running. You’ll also want to engage in activities in a way that reduces risk of injury. Joint injuries can worsen arthritis symptoms, so it’s something you’ll want to avoid by putting in your exercise time with low risk endeavors. Gout is an interesting condition, and the connection to arthritis is both factual and straightforward. This means it plays a heavy role in joint health. There is no cure, but there are many treatment and management options for the average patient to help improve quality of life with the condition, as we’ve discussed. As a company that focuses on joint health and joint health related issues, we felt that it is an important topic worth covering. Thanks for joining us this week, and we hope to see you again next week! As always, this information is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness or disease. No information in any of our blogs should ever be used as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor or another qualified medical professional.