Methods of treatment and symptoms of gouty arthritis

When a patient develops or exacerbates gouty arthritis, a treatment that takes into account the course of the pathological process in a particular patient can prevent the development of severe complications of the disease and irreversible changes in organs and tissues.

Why does gout occur?

The essence of the disease lies in congenital or acquired disorders in the exchange of purine bases and uric acid in the body.

Accumulation of products of purine metabolism, regardless of the cause of the development of this condition, provokes a sharp increase in the concentration of uric acid.

When uric acid is deposited in various organs and tissues around the body, reactive inflammation begins that hampers the normal functioning of the individual system of the human body.

In the case when uric acid enters the joint cavity, gouty arthritis develops - the treatment of this condition should be based on a pharmacological correction of metabolic disorders, the use of a diet that limits the intake of protein substances in the body, and the prevention of secondary changes in gout.

Symptoms of the disease

Acute gouty arthritis develops so characteristically and typically that the diagnosis in the vast majority of cases can be delivered without a continuous examination of the patient.

Laboratory tests and instrumental diagnostics are important for determining the prognosis and selection of optimal treatment tactics.

Acute gouty arthritis most often affects the big toe - an attack of the disease develops suddenly, the skin over the affected joint becomes swollen, red, hot to the touch, restricts the patient's ability to move freely.

Gouty arthritis of the ankle during the first exacerbation of the disease develops very rarely. Usually, inflammation of large joints occurs with advanced disease.

Therefore, before the start of treatment, it is necessary to determine exactly the cause of the disease, because inflammatory arthritis requires the immediate appointment of antibiotic therapy, whereas gout should be treated with drugs that depress uric acid production and accelerate its excretion.

Gouty arthritis of the knee joint may occur in the onset of the disease. This variant of development of the pathological process is often found in women over the age of 40 years - in patients in this case, not only symptoms of gouty arthritis can be detected, but also signs of a degenerative - dystrophic process in the affected joint.

That is why the treatment of the disease should be directed to the restoration of normal processes in the cartilage, the suppression of reactive inflammation and the elimination of excess purine bases in the body.

Treatment of gouty arthritis

Unfortunately, the question - how to treat gouty arthritis, most patients are asked at a time when the body is experiencing a change that requires the immediate appointment of appropriate therapy

In the treatment of gout, the following are distinguished:

• Therapy for an acute attack of gouty arthritis, which should be effectiveand effective;
• measures carried out during the inter-attack period, providing a gradual normalization of the level of uric acid in the body.

At any stage of the disease, the appointment of dietary( curative) nutrition becomes an obligatory component of treatment. Diet for gout provides a reduced intake of lipids of animal origin and proteins in the body with a normal or slightly increased amount of carbohydrates.

The patient should receive a sufficient amount of liquid, alkaline mineral water, tea, and mors. Maintaining the water and drinking regimen at a normal level ensures the removal of the products of the metabolism of purine bases from the body, and not their deposition in tissues, especially in the tubules of the kidneys.

From the nutrition of patients, any by-products, fatty mutton, legumes, wine, tea, coffee, spinach, sorrel, any greens, increasing the number of purine bases in the blood serum are excluded.
Questions of drug treatment for gout at any stage should be agreed with the doctor.

Some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also undesirable in this disease - some of the drugs of this clinical group, for example, aspirin and any agents containing acetylsalicylic acid, can themselves cause gout exacerbation.

Nevertheless, non-narcotic and narcotic analgesics may be prescribed to stop a pain attack, and steroid hormones can be prescribed for shortening the inflammation in short courses, but their dose should be selected by a doctor. If a patient is diagnosed with gouty arthritis, treatment with folk remedies helps to slow the progression of changes in tissues.

For the treatment of gout, folk methods can be used as extracts from plants directly affecting the metabolism of purine bases( colchicine) and herbs that have anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and antipyretic effects - decoctions and infusions, which include aspen, alder, cornflower, mother-and-stepmother.