Causes of Gout and Gout Symptoms
Causes of gout
An elevated blood level of uric acid is called as hyperuricemia. This condition occurs when the liver produces more uric acid than the body can excrete in the urine. This condition may occur due to the intake of diet that is high in rich foods like red meat, cream sauces, red wine. These foods produce more uric acid than the kidneys can filter from the blood. Over a period of time this excessive uric acid in the blood crystallizes and settles in the joint spaces. Which in turn causes swelling, inflammation, stiffness, and pain. The Gout symptoms are usually first affected in the metatarsal phalangeal joint of the big toe (hallux) or the ankle joints.
Approximately 18% of people who develop gout have a family history of the condition. Diseases like diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and sickle cell anemia increase the risk of gout in a person. The regularly alcohol intake interferes with the process of the removal of uric acid in the body. This increases the risk for developing gout. One of the factor that increases the risk is also exposure to lead in the environment. High dietary intake of rich foods that contain purine (e.g., cream sauces, red meat, sardines, liver, scallops) also is one of the important factors that may lead to gout. Some medications interfere with the body's ability to remove uric acid. These medications are aspirin, diuretics, levodopa [used to treat Parkinson's disease]). Cyclosporine (e.g., Gengraf®), which is a medication used to suppress the body's immune system and prevent rejection after organ transplant, also increases the risk for developing gout.
Gout Symptoms
Gout symptoms usually develops in the joint of the first toe (i.e., the big toe, or hallux). Some of the other gout symptoms include inflammation, pain, redness, stiffness and swelling. Touching or moving the toe may be intensely painful. The patients often complain that having as much as a sheet or a cloth over the toe increases the pain. Gout symptoms develop very quickly and can be as fast as in a days time. This typically occurs in only one joint at a time. Rarely, symptoms develop in two or three joints simultaneously. If the gout symptoms are noticed widespread across the body/joints, probably the condition is not gout. If left untreated, gout can damage joints and cause disability.
More details on gout symptom.

