What is gout arthritis?

I just discovered that my right big and the joint is very swollen, hot and painful. The doctor diagnosed it as ‘Gout Arthritis’. Kindly let me know what this means.

Kelvin (by SMS)

Gout is a disease resulting from the deposition of urate crystals caused by the overproduction or under excretion of uric acid. The disease is often, but not always, associated with elevated serum uric acid levels. Clinical manifestations include acute and chronic arthritis, tophi, interstitial renal disease and uric acid nephrolithiasis. The diagnosis is based on the identification of uric acid crystals in joints, tissues or body fluids. Treatment goals include termination of the acute attack, prevention of recurrent attacks and prevention of complications associated with the deposition of urate crystals in tissues. Pharmacologic management remains the mainstay of treatment. Acute attacks may be terminated with the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, intra-articular injections of corticosteroids. Obesity, alcohol intake and certain foods and medications can contribute to hyperuricemia. These potentially exacerbating factors should be identified and modified. Useful dietary and lifestyle changes include weight reduction, decreased alcohol ingestion, decreased consumption of foods with a high purine content, and control of hypertension. Used alone, however, these measures will probably not reduce serum uric acid levels to normal, which is the treatment goal for the prevention of acute gout attacks. Symptomatic hyperuricemia usually requires medication.

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