Gout: The painful rheumatic disease

Dr Omondi Oyoo, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. Anyone who has suffered from gout will tell you that it is a very painful experience. (PHOTO: FILE/ STANDARD)

Anyone who has suffered from gout will tell you that it is a very painful experience.

According to Dr Omondi Oyoo, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist at Aga Khan University Hospital, gout is a condition characterised by pain and swelling of joints resulting from high concentration of uric acid in the blood.

“In people with gout, instead of uric acid being excreted through the kidneys into urine, a disorder in their bodies causes the uric acid level to increase forming crystals which are deposited in joints and other tissues.

These needle-like crystals trigger an immune response that produces intense inflammation that is accompanied by severe pain, swelling and tenderness especially in the big toe,” he said.

Dr Oyoo describes gout as one of the most painful rheumatic diseases which, when left untreated, often worsens due to excess build-up of uric acid in joints.

“Attacks may subside after a few days, but over time they can keep recurring and cause severe arthritis, permanent joint damage, and even kidney disease,” he says.

People suffering from gout often have a diet rich in purines which includes red meat, some alcohols (including beer), sardines, mussels, mackerel, kidney, liver, meat extracts and yeast.

“Genetic predisposition only accounts for ten per cent of the root cause of the problem,” he says.

Kenya’s prevalent nyama choma washed down with alcohol culture provides a perfect breeding ground for this disease to flourish and is now one of the fastest growing problems.

According to Dr Oyoo, the age group of patients suffering from this condition has come down from people in their 40s to as young as those in their 20s.

Gout mainly affects men as women are protected by estrogen until they reach menopause then they become equally vulnerable. The disease is further complicated by hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.

The most effective way to treat gout is by the correct use of prescribed medication and dietary modification.

Dr Oyoo says this involves greatly reducing intake of proteins, especially red meat, to a plum size serving taken no more than three times per week.

When uric acid levels are very high, foods rich in purines should be avoided completely.