In this article, we are going to tackle the different stages of gout. Oh, wait, did I just mention stages? Well, yeah, I did! And don’t get confused with that, it’s true –gout has its own stages. There are four of them, in fact! Read on to this article and you will get to know what are these stages of gout. Worry less, because it is for certain that you will learn a lot from this article!
What is Gout: A refresher!
A gout is a form of arthritis that is caused by various metabolic problems. Actually, the condition is characterized by the searing pain, swelling, or warmth of the affected joint. As well as the redness of the joint. Most of the times it attacks at night, causing insomnia and sleepless nights.
Most of the cases of gout start by way of attacking the big toe. And then a small number of attacks later, it’ll slowly crawl its own way up to your upper body. Thus affecting the joints just like those in the fingers and in the elbows. The period of the gout attacks may vary from one case to another. Moreover, it may last for about an hour or two, or may even be a couple of weeks. Occasionally, the overshot reactions are what cause it to persist for months and even for years. As the attack finally diminishes, there will be more attack to come if you don’t do anything to change your own lifestyle.
Often times, the tophaceous deposits may appear in several parts of the body. Tophus is the yellowish-white chalky nodules, which appear under the skin. Usually, it appears in the earlobes, as well as in the outer ear.
Enough for that, let’s now dig deeper to the stages of gout!
First Stage of Gout
They call the first stage of gout as Asymptomatic gout. This is the stage where someone develops hyperuricemia, the sudden increase in the levels of uric acid in the blood. In this stage, the body starts to become increasingly acidic, but there are no symptoms present. Furthermore, on this stage, the uric acid crystallizes and accumulates silently in the joints. There is no need for any treatment here and medication is not really necessary. Nevertheless, if you found out by taking a blood test that you really are suffering from hyperuricemia a change in the diet must immediately take place.
Second Stage of Gout
Next to the stages of gout is the first ever gout attack. This is what they often call the Acute Gout or the Acute Gouty Arthritis. It is very normal that the first time comes to a surprise and is a very painful one, which causes severe pain and inflammation in the joints. In general, this particular first gout attack will take place in the big toes and will feel like a broken foot. The area will be reddish in color and the sufferer may experience a slight chill and fever. Moreover, the attacks can become more austere and may prolong if you don’t give it attention. There will be more attacks to come after this, but that will take months or even a year before happening. Over a period of time, however, gout attacks may last longer and may happen more frequently.
Third Stage of Gout
The third of the stages of gout is the Intercritical Gout or the Interval Gout. This is actually the period of time in between the gout attacks, wherein you feel no symptoms at all. Not just that, the joints also function properly. For most of the sufferers of gout, the uric acid in the blood stays high and the uric acid crystals remain on the joint as well. The truth is that gout has not gone away and the low levels of the inflammation between the gout attacks may cause the joint damage even if you don’t feel any pain or symptoms. It is important to seek proper medical treatments for the disease and change the necessary lifestyle through the use of proper diet and regular exercise to avoid any further gout attacks.
Last Stage of Gout
The Chronic Gout or the Chronic Tophaceous Gout is the last stage of gout. This is the stage that you don’t want to experience. In this stage, the condition becomes more disabling and may happen after many years of suffering, which may be associated with the irreversible damage to the joints. As well as damage to the kidneys, and the worse –death. This particular stage happens after 10 years when the disease has not been treated right and there are no lifestyle changes being implemented. With the proper treatment, most of those who suffer from gout don’t progress to this stage and that’s a good thing.
It is very important that you treat gout in the earlier stages, rather than treating it in the final stage, which is the worst of all!
