The day after Thanksgiving is one of the most common times when our Marietta podiatrist diagnoses a gout attack in patients. But what is this condition? And why does it so often flare up after your holiday feast? Here’s what you need to know.
What Causes a Gout Attack ![a turkey being carved]()
Gout is a form of arthritis that comes and goes in flares. An attack happens when your body’s uric acid levels increase. This leads to the formation of uric crystals that can collect around your joints build up around your joints, causing terrible pain, redness, and inflammation. Often, your big toe joint is the first to be affected by a gout attack, but the crystals can build up around any joint in the body.
Flares can happen at any time. But as we mentioned, they’re especially common after Thanksgiving (and football tailgates.) Why is that the case? Well, it’s tied to how and why uric acid builds up in your body. Basically, this substance is produced when you consume proteins, and your body breaks them down into something called purines. When you eat moderate amounts of protein, the purines your body produces will remain at safe levels that won’t impact uric acid levels in the body. But when you eat foods—like turkey, red meats, and seafood—that are rich in purines, uric acid levels can rise rapidly. Then, if you add in other factors, like dehydration, those high levels of uric acid will become more concentrated, making a gout flare more likely. Even if you’re drinking plenty of water, consuming alcohol increases your gout risk. And that’s because consuming alcohol can lead to dehydration, and more concentrated levels of uric acid.
Additional Risk Factors
Obesity can also lead to a gout attack because your body produces more uric acid when you’re carrying extra weight. Medications with diuretic properties also increase your risk because they’re more likely to cause dehydration. Your family history can impact your gout risk, and previous foot fractures or foot surgery can also increase your risk.
Diagnosis and Treatment Options
Symptoms of a gout attack are typically so severe that it’s easy to diagnose the source of your discomfort. However, when the diagnosis is less clear, we may also order x-rays to be sure that an injury isn’t causing the pain, redness, and swelling in your big toe.
If you’re diagnosed with gout, we can prescribe medication to manage your pain. Depending on the severity of your discomfort, you may find relief from over-the-counter medications like Motrin or prescription medications such as Indocin or Colchicine. In some cases, we may also recommend oral or injected steroids to quickly combat painful inflammation. Once we’ve gotten your current gout attack under control, we’ll also work on preventing future flare-ups. That could involve prescription medications that tamp down your body’s uric acid production—allopurinol is a common choice. You may also benefit from a prescription for Uloric, a medication that helps your body flush out any uric acid it does create.
In addition to prescribing medication, Dr. Alvin Cowans will likely suggest lifestyle changes that can help reduce your future risk for gout flares. To begin with, we’ll focus on diet. Reduce your intake of sugary juices, alcohol, and foods that are high in purines. Try to reach and maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise, to help prevent uric acid production in your body. We’ll also ask you to seek regular, preventative foot care in our podiatry practice in Powder Springs, Georgia. When you come in for check-ups, we can ensure that you're sticking to our gout prevention plan, helping reduce your risk for future attacks.
And guess what? You don’t have to wait for the excruciating pain of a gout attack to start focusing more on your foot health. So, if you have a family history of this disease, if you have experienced previous flare-ups, or if you have additional gout risk factors, now is the time to contact our office and request an appointment. When you come in for your visit, we can help protect your foot health—through the holiday season and well into the New Year!
