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Hello gentleman,
I am a 24 year old woman who just found out today that i have Gout. I am still trying to figure out exactly what is causing it in me. I have never heard of it and all I see on every website that I find is that I am not supposed to eat certain foods.
Now, that would be ok with me but, I don't eat most of these foods in excess. Does anyone have any advice that could help me with this?
I just don't really understand it at all. My mother has Rhuemitoid Arthritus (help me with the spelling on that one) and that's what they tested for. Does anyone know if Gout is a pre-curser to RA?
Hi Just,
Firstly, forget food for now. If food is an issue (and it is a BIG IF), you can sort this out later (with our help of course), but for now you must concentrate on your uric acid numbers.
I am unaware of a link between gout and rheumatoid arthritis, but gout can cause osteoarthritis as uric acid deposits eat into your bones. That is why you need to control the uric acid.
Have you discussed uric acid control with your doctor?
I wasn't expecting to post on this ,as I have little experience of RA.
However, in that both Gout and Arthrtitis are auto-immune diseases and a genetic link has been postulated many times in my reading on Gout.
I have Arthritis in my family lineage and that has always given me a 'get out card' on feeling guilty about lifetime dietary habits that may have worsened gout in myself.
I have spoken to someone who's mother had gout at 30 years age , similar to you, and never drank alcohol & who's step father [mothers new partner] drank like a fish (then older, I suppose also) without the slightest wisp of the crystaline daggers…
I don't know of the grandparents status on this.
He apparently found that amusing..so I would suggest an attack 'looking for a home' goes his way…
So- I put the fact of arthritis in the family as high, if not top, of the list indicating that gene modified enzyme precursor has to be the start of all our gouty woes.
So, they are in the same stable-I've never seen a reference to Gout preceding RA- though Gout is referred to as Gouty Arthritis plenty of times.
Though you may feel unlucky in getting this young- you will have a good chance of nailing/managing it early ,as advised by GP above, before being hamstrung, in later years, by BP, extra body weight and maybe prescription drug reactions- that are more likely to interfere with easy resolutions when SUA has coasted to a too high level.
It will be really interesting to know your readings on Serum [Blood] UA levels as it IS unusual in someone your age.
Hopefully, the increasing move to gout reseach increasing, at least in diagnosis and drug therapy will come to help you in time, too!
What were the symptoms that brought you to the doctor and how did he diagnose gout? In your case, I think a second opinion might be wise because gout is VERY uncommon ina young woman.
Gout and RA are different but very similar processes…one will not lead to the other but I see no good reason that one PRECLUDES another either. And I would not be surprised if it is common for uric acid to exacerbate RA attacks.
You need to have your serum uric acid measured.
Thanks for all your posts. My Uric Acid level was 7.5 and he told me that 7.6 was considered high.
What started this whole thing was pain in my ankle. I have had tons of ankle injuries due to gymnastics, dance, and cheerleading but nothing recently. I went in and they took xrays and of course didn't find anything.
The doctor asked me if anyone in my family had RA and I told him yes my mother. He said he was going to let the Radiologist look at the xrays and if he didn't find anything he would get me back in for bloodwork.
He told me that it could very well just be genetic and asked me if I ate alot of red meat, or drank beer. Well I live in Texas but i don't think I really eat more red meat than anyone else and of course I drink beer. He didn't really act like it was something in my diet causing it because I eat pretty healthy overall and don't drink in excess.
Maybe it is just genetic, I just thought it was strange that every website that I found said it was more common in older men.
Just Found Out Final said:
Thanks for all your posts. My Uric Acid level was 7.5 and he told me that 7.6 was considered high.
I'd say Very High. 6.9 is high. Standard crystalization point for uric acid is 6.8 at normal blood temperature, lower in the extremeties and cold conditions. There is a mystery substance that allows some people to tolerate higher uric acid without gout (we jealously snub those people)
Maybe it is just genetic, I just thought it was strange that every website that I found said it was more common in older men.
More common doesn't mean exclusive – you are just goutier than most women of your age, probably from genetics but other environmental and medical factors can afect uric acid levels.
Estrogen lowers uric acid production, and menstruation excretes both uric acid, and iron – a highly suspected culprit of excess uric acid production. Men have none of these benefits, and the age connection may well be accumulation of iron and other uric acid stimulating metals.
GoutPal said:
Hi Just,
Firstly, forget food for now. If food is an issue (and it is a BIG IF), you can sort this out later (with our help of course), but for now you must concentrate on your uric acid numbers.
I am unaware of a link between gout and rheumatoid arthritis, but gout can cause osteoarthritis as uric acid deposits eat into your bones. That is why you need to control the uric acid.
Have you discussed uric acid control with your doctor?
I have very high UA levels and RA positive. I went to a Rheuma today. Supposedly going to all be sorted. Starting allopurinol and colchicine. Whatever I got, it's way bad. Tophi is terrible.
Wes,
The SURE way to sort it out is to take a needle biopsy of a large tophus. Under a miicroscope and polarized light an proper staining urate shows up pretty clearly. If you have to push your rheumatologist to get the needle biopsy, then PUSH! Treatment of people with severely tophaceous gout is pretty extreme so you want to be ABSOLUTELY SURE of the diagnosis before you begin aggressive treatment.
Now the HARD part is the differential diagnosis of RA which is VERY dicey and requires a raft of tests for confirmation, just rheumatoid facot or a high ANA is NOT enough.
Occam's razor is often the answer…the simplest explanation is ususally the right one. If you have proven one of two similar conditions, the OTHER becomes extremely unlikely. For example a mangled corpse on a sidewalk MIGHT have been hit by a bus or he MIGHT have jumped from a high building…but VERY rarely did both occur.
So I am going to GUESS that you have gout and NOT RA. I hope my guess is right becasue gout is FAR more manageable than RA.
(Let me know if my guess was on target.)
I am almost 100 percent sure I have gout. There are a few things that can cause an invalid RA reading from time to time. Although, my mom does have lupus.
My uric was 11 a couple a weeks ago!
Wes,
So you DO have gout and my guess is still on target (Oy, I think the last person with a uriic acid that high was LOT'S WIFE!
)So now tell me how they diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis?
Justfoundout,
Your uric acid is extraordinarily high for a woman of 24. And primary gout is almost unheard of in your demographic. It's not JUST a disease of older men, many young men get it too, but it very much NOT a disease of young women or children.
For that last resaon get a second opinion before you begin treatment. Make sure a good doctor looks for conditions that might cause high uric acid as a secondary symptom.
Just a stab: have you gone on a crash diet and lost a lot of weight recently?
I'm going to create a full post on my journey including labs and such. My paw is simply too swollen for such at the present time.
My UA has been higher. One doctor suggested parathyroid problems. Right now, I know I must lower my uric acid.
No crash diet. My RF has been positive 2 or 3 times.
Thanks
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