BONE & JOINT DISORDERS (ARTHRITIS)
GOUT – RISK FACTORS
- Genetic factors : Family history of gout.
- Obesity : Overweight people have a tendency to develop hyperuricemia (increased uric acid level in blood) and gout because increased food intake causes increased production of uric acid.
- Sex : More common in men and is seen in women usually after menopause.
- Excessive intake of alcohol : Alcohol interferes with the excretion of uric acid from the body.
- Eating food rich in purine like liver, kidney, sweetbread, dried beans and peas, anchovies.
- Decreased excretion of uric acid as from :
- Drugs like diuretics, salicylates, cyclosporine, levodopa, aspirin, nicotinic acid.
- Exposure to lead in the environment.
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Myxedema (condition occurring as a result of under functioning of thyroid gland).
- Down’s syndrome
- Any condition resulting in lactic acidosis like starvation, vomiting, toxemia of pregnancy.
- Increased production of uric acid as from :
- Myeloproliferative disorders e.g. polycythaemia vera (increased red blood cells).
- Chronic lymphatic leukemia (blood cancer).
- Psoriasis (a skin disorder which is characterized by reddish patches covered by silvery scales).