Gout attack: red, swollen, hot and painful joints like a tiger’s bite Gout not treated: hyperuricemia, gout again and again Repeated attacks: gout stones form in joints, kidneys become dysfunctional gout kidneys Long-term treatment: swollen and deformed joints, stiffness, disability, beware of kidney stones, uremia, kidney failure Gout is a disease caused by high blood uric acid levels in the body, resulting in the deposition of uric acid in the joints and kidneys. Due to lifestyle changes, increasing age, and increased alcohol and meat consumption, gout patients are increasing, with more men than women developing the disease. Gout is closely related to hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia and diabetes. Therefore, you should improve the above-mentioned related examinations. In your daily life, you should adhere to the “gout diet”. In short, a diet high in carbohydrates, medium in protein and low in fat (if you have diabetes, consult your doctor for details), with special attention to a low purine diet. This is because purines are a source of uric acid (see the table of purine content of common foods). Drink plenty of water (at least 2,000 ml) every day, mainly plain water, but also coffee and soda in moderation to help uric acid excretion. Eat more vegetables and consume fruits in moderation, but you should eat less white sugar and honey, and do not drink a lot of fruit juice and corn juice (large amounts of fructose are consumed, which is converted into uric acid in the body). Eat fewer vegetables of various pods of beans (such as beans, lentils, fava beans, fresh peas), which are high in purines and should be limited. Protein food preferred milk, milk powder, egg protein, less yogurt. Fat reduces uric acid excretion, so eat less fat. Animal offal and seafood contain a lot of purines and should also be eaten sparingly. Alcohol can inhibit the excretion of uric acid and can promote the acute attack of gout. You also need to pay attention to the cooking method of food, meat first boiled, abandoned soup after cooking can reduce the content of uric acid in meat. Chili, curry, pepper, ginger, pepper, mustard and other foods can induce an acute attack of gout and should be avoided. In the acute phase of gout attack, you should absolutely rest in bed, drink a lot of water, elevate the affected limbs, and avoid weight bearing on the affected joints. In the interval between gout attacks can be appropriate exercise, exercise should be mainly aerobic exercise (including jogging, walking, swimming, cycling, climbing, etc.), aerobic exercise can reduce uric acid levels, but anaerobic exercise (such as weight lifting) can increase uric acid levels. All exercise should be suspended during an acute attack of arthritis. Gout is genetically linked and is difficult to cure, but it can be managed. So, how can I prevent a recurrence of gouty arthritis after an attack? Adhere to a “gout diet”, drink plenty of water daily, and take long-term medication to lower uric acid in minimal doses. The actual gout arthritis can be caused by high uric acidemia, and the deposition of uric acid in the kidneys can also lead to kidney stones and kidney function damage, the so-called “gout kidney”, and some of the uric acid-lowering drugs have a certain effect on liver function, so in addition to the regular review of blood uric acid, should also be regularly reviewed liver and kidney function. After the uric acid is normal, you should not just stop the medication, but reduce the dosage under the guidance of your doctor. The only way to effectively prevent the recurrence of gout is to adhere to a regular low purine diet (avoid foods with high and high purine content and consume more foods with low purine content), avoid triggers that raise uric acid, and keep the blood uric acid under a safe range.