2. Probably one of the lesser known forms
of gout is chronic gout.
It is also one of the most unpleasant forms.
3. The chronic gout stage normally will
only appear after an extended period of
suffering from recurrent gout.
4. The main difference between recurrent gout
and chronic gout, is that chronic gout pain is
an almost permanent state of inflammation,
redness and pain in the affected joints.
6. Over time as the uric acid crystals
continue to accumulate in the joints,
the inflammatory response becomes
so frequent that there is not enough
time for one response to finish before
the next one starts.
7. It is well established that gout is
one of the most painful conditions
that you can get.
8. Chronic gout leaves the gout sufferer
in an almost permanent state of
pain and suffering.
9. This can have a serious impact on a
gout sufferer’s life, as the most simple
of daily activities involve severe pain.
10. If the gout is in the lower limbs then
just getting up and walking across the
room is a mission in itself.
11. If the elbows, wrists or hands
are suffering from chronic gout
then even more simple activities
become very difficult.
12. Chronic gout comes about when a gout
sufferer has ignored the warning signs,
or has not realized that gout is a
progressive disease.
13. As more attacks occur it becomes harder
for the body to fix itself.
Damage to the cartilage also occurs which
further affects the gout patient.
14. In the worst cases the chronic gout may
proceed to poly-articular gout which is
a very painful gout attack affecting
several joints at once!
15. Let’s rewind the clock a little bit.
When someone first gets gout, they
will usually experience unexpected
and infrequent gout attacks.
16. These might be weeks, months or
even years apart.
They may even move around
to different joints.
17. Because the pain comes and goes
so quickly it is easy to just suffer
the short term pain, and then
just carry on with life.
18. However this is the very thing that
will lead to worsening gout.
19. If someone who has had gout in the
past makes no changes to their lifestyle
then they will be more susceptible to
future gout problems.
20. Many of the factors which lead to gout
are related to diet and exercise.
22. Recurrent gout attacks are the next
stage of gout. With recurrent gout, the
attacks come more frequently and
begin to stay for longer.
23. By now the affected joints are very
irritated and regularly inflamed, and it
might take only the slightest trigger to set
off a gout attack.
24. Someone with recurrent gout really
needs to take a very good look at
what is causing their gout, and
do something about it.
25. Once recurrent gout attacks are coming
so frequently that the body cannot
recover, it becomes chronic gout.
26. The sufferer is in almost permanent pain
from their gout, and life is miserable.
27. By this time the gout may be present in
more than one joint at a time, and
both upper and lower limbs can be
affected simultaneously.
28. Life becomes very difficult when every
movement involves pain. Especially
pain of the sort that a sufferer of
chronic gout experiences.
29. There is an even more advanced stage
of gout, being tophaceous gout.
Urate crystals start to clump together and
form lumps under the skin called tophi.
30. These can be as large as eggs!
Essentially there is nowhere left for
the urate crystals to go so they
begin to lump together.
31. The hands and fingers are common
areas for the formation of tophi,
but they are also found in the ears.
32. If you are a gout sufferer in one of the
early stages of gout then take heed.
Unless you start to look after yourself,
things are sure to get worse.
33. Gout is not something to be messed with,
and if you have already started to suffer
from chronic gout then you need
to do something about it. Now!