Health News

Guidance for Gout
When a gout attack begins, the pain starts suddenly and can be crushing. To help doctors and patients prevent these attacks, the American College of Rheumatology ( ACR ) has issued new guidelines for dealing with gout.
Whats Behind Teen Hypertension
Doctors may have found a new marker capable of suggesting a teen suffers from high blood pressure. Abnormal levels of uric acid, a build-up associated with gout attacks, may act as a mechanism for hypertension. Though a cause and effect link between uric acid and hypertension was not found, researchers said the findings suggest uric acid may act as a biomarker of high blood pressure. Avoid smoking to maintain healthy blood pressure. Lauren Loeffler , MD, MHS , lead investigator and a nephrologist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, noted that high blood pressure is no longer...
Drugs that Make Gout Risk Go Up and Down
In order to get your blood pressure under control, your doctor may give you some type of prescription drug. Your risk of developing gout may influence which drug you are prescribed.
Nothing Medieval About Gout
Not just something for the history books, gout is all too real. One in ten Americans over the age of 70 will experience at least one attack of gout, something gout patients generally describe as the worst pain imaginable. High amounts of a molecule called uric acid can crystallize in joints, causing a very painful inflammation in the big toe or a knuckle. Over time, a knot can build, called a tophus . While sometimes caused by severe kidney problems, cancer treatment or by some kinds of medications, blaming gout symptoms on a diet rich in meat and alcohol is not quite accurate. The ...
What You Can Do About Managing Gout
Living with gout can be like sitting on a ticking time bomb. An attack can come on unexpectedly and be excruciatingly painful, even crippling.
A Dose of Dairy for Your Joints
Diet can play a large role in the prevention of chronic pain conditions. Low-fat dairy products, for example, may reduce the risk of gout. So, is it possible that dairy could also help those who already have gout?
Treating the Effects of Gout Treatment
The side effects of certain drugs can make some gout patients quit treatment. Fortunately, there may be one drug that stops the painful flare-ups sometimes associated with gout treatment.
The "Dirty Dishes" of Gout
When it comes to cleaning a dirty dish, more scrubbing is needed to get it clean than to keep it clean. It could be similar when it comes to getting rid of the urate crystals associated with gout.
The Disease of Kings and Anybody Else
Gout is a form of arthritis that has been known for thousands of years. At times, it has been called "the disease of kings," as it has been falsely linked to the excess eating and drinking that only the rich could afford.
Gout Drug May Love Your Heart
Patients that develop a common heart arrhythmia may benefit from an unexpected drug. A medication used to treat gout appears to reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation following heart surgery.