Uric Acid Number, Uric Acid Number, Uric Acid Number

by KeithTaylor Comment Closed
I feel I'm repeating myself here, but guess what? It is all about your Uric Acid Number. If you have any interest in gout whatsoever, then you need to know the exact level of uric acid in your blood. When you ask the bank manager for your account balance, does "OK, Nothing to worry about?" make you happy? Do you accept "Normal" and rush out on a spending spree? Of course not. You need the number. And here is why. (more…)...
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Clinical Research for Gout – San Antonio, TX

by KeithTaylor Comment Closed
Radiant Research in Texas have announced a new gout investigational medicine research project. View Larger Map Details are few, but the researchers are looking for participants who experience occasional gout flares. Qualified participants will receive all study related care and investigational medication at no charge and may be compensated up to $350 for time and travel. (more…)...
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How Bad Are Your Feet Tophi

How Bad Are Your Feet Tophi

by KeithTaylor Comment Closed
These images are from a summary of a new case study about tophi in the left foot. This ties in with a recent review of unusual tophi presentation (search for occupational gout) The working title of my summary is How Bad Can Feet Tophi Get? I think you'll understand the title better once you see the images, but first the abstract. Feet Tophi Case Report: Abstract Title:Multiarticular chronic tophaceous gout with severe and multiple ulcerations: a case report. Authors:Falidas E, Rallis E, Bournia VK, Mathioulakis S, Pavlakis E, Villias C. Published:J Med Case Rep. 2011 Aug 19;5:397. In my summary, I will use laymans terms to explain the medical terms and issues. Multiarticular means affecting many joints. Click to read the Feet Tophi gout case study...
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What are your Gout Causes?

by KeithTaylor Comment Closed
On many levels, gout causes are simple. It is simply excess uric acid that causes gout. I've recently started reorganizing my gout causes pages, and I want to make sure I have not missed any. Also, there has not been much discussion of gout causes recently, so this is the place to discuss any aspects of the causes of gout. Please note that I am not particularly interested here in what causes a single gout flare. I am interested in the underlying causes of gout. My list so far is: Kidney disease Surgery Leukemia, lymphoma, or hemoglobin disorders Medical conditions that cause rapid weight change (increase or decrease) Medications for other health conditions Exposure to lead and other metal salts Can you think of others? What are your feelings on obesity? I believe that diet can play a part, and I would add that starvation, dehydration, and malnutrition can also affect gout. I am certainly not interested in specific foods, but have you ever cured gout by completely stopping a...
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Tophi And Allopurinol

by KeithTaylor Comment Closed
This discussion is now closed. Please see the tophi guidelines, or start a new discussion in the gout forum. Get treatment for gout to remove tophi before your knees look like this! Gout brings strange swellings to elbows, knees, hands and ears. Uric acid crystals build up as lumps outside the joints. Each lump is called a tophus. You usually get several tophi - a stage of gout called tophaceous gout. A reader is anxious to hear your experience of tophi and allopurinol, but first some background. When tophi grow near the joints, particularly on the fingers, you might need surgery to remove them. Tophi also need to be removed if they break through the skin and risk causing infection. The alternative to surgery is to lower uric acid low enough so that crystals in the tophi, and in the joints, dissolve. In the study, "Effect of urate-lowering therapy on the velocity of size reduction of tophi in chronic gout", the authors conclude: Serum...
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Gout Diet

by KeithTaylor Comment Closed
What's In A Good Gout Diet? The nicest aspect of running GoutPal.com is the messages I receive. Sometimes full of praise, often full of information, continually full of questions. Today I got a question about gout diet. As I reviewed my answer, a thought grew in my mind - "Physician, heal thyself." Now I'm no physician, but I do know about gout, particularly my own gout. I know that most gout problems are diet related. One of my New Year Resolutions was to develop and maintain a healthy gout diet. I can't put it off much longer. Gout sufferers get obsessed with food. At least, this one does. I think it starts with all that purine stuff. You worry about the type of food you are eating, but forget about the amount and balance. The answer is not really a gout diet, more a gout lifestyle. But first, a few foody thoughts. (more…)...
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What Happened To Your Test For Gout?

by KeithTaylor Comment Closed
I am compiling a test for gout list, to include all the different tests that gout patients undergo. Usually, they are tests of your gout symptoms to help your doctor determine a diagnosis of gout or something else. Some of these tests should continue through your gout treatment - after all, gout treatment is supposed to reduce your gout symptoms, and repeat tests will show if this is true or not. Speaking of which, earlier today I reported on a new attempt to develop a test to measure when gout is finally controlled. This is mainly a test for doctors to measure the effectiveness of the treatment plan. However, most gout sufferers would be very interested in getting the closest thing a gout patient can get to an "all-clear." I will add the complete lists of gout tests that I have heard of soon. As well as the well known medical tests, I will cover patient assessment tests, which are a relatively new...
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