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If wisdom comes with age, then I'm sure most of you can offer me a ton of it. With what I've read about gout so far, most sufferers are in their late 30's or 40's.
I am 23…and I have suffered with gout for 6 years.
All I knew about gout before I was diagnosed with it was that it used to cripple 2 of my uncle's (on my mother's side, in which case the more dominant genes come from the mother's side) whenever they had attacks. Presently, 2 more uncles have since been diagnosed making it 4 out of 8 uncles who suffer with gout. This has led meet to be 100% sure that my gout is hereditary.
True, I haven't been the healthiest eater or the lightest drinker. Though my diet may flip-flop, my weight has been steady. Peaking at 260 and dipping to about 235 three years ago. Currently I weigh in at about 248-250. Make no mistake, I am big but I am quite active when not in the painful grips of a gout attack. As a matter of fact, I was most active when I was diagnosed after a sprained ankle spurred an attack.
I'd just like to know what ages most of you were diagnosed or even suspected you first had gout. Whether or not gout had affected 1 or more family members. I still have not run into anyone who suffers from gout and is under the age of 30. Am I alone in thinking it's hereditary?
Charles 23 said:
I'd just like to know what ages most of you were diagnosed or even suspected you first had gout. Whether or not gout had affected 1 or more family members. I still have not run into anyone who suffers from gout and is under the age of 30. Am I alone in thinking it's hereditary?
My father and grandfather on mum's side. I have suspected Gout but not confirmed yet. I am in my mid 30s. Very fit (I don't know how much longer though) and have an extremely healthy diet. In my case if it turns out to be Gout then it's 100% hereditary as I am a perfect non Gout canidate because of my lifestyle. The irony of it all makes me wanna cry 🙂
Gout [form of Arthritis] is definitely hereditary.
By the by-I had an uncle who was crippled with arthritis for years, having spent time in the road build and agriculture fields too. Not a good precursor to a easy old age.
My gout started to show after 60. You are indeed unlucky OP , to show signs so young.
You quoted weight but the more interesting figure is your BMI, related to your height. This is something that will need addressing, I suspect, in future approaches to your gout.
You're not alone though – non-drinking women of 30 have been got by Gout, so it's not always predictable, as to attack profiles.
Bear in mind- and looking ahead quite a long way- drug treatments are improving and will help you cope better, along with suitable diet and exercise, which will become more necessary as you age. [With or without meds. Are you on any yet?]
Gout is not as serious as diabetes, in my laymans view, but it certainly demands AS serious an approach- to reduce/eliminate painful attacks and the likely secondary issues of high UA around the system, particularly over the extended time ahead you face.
My mom, my aunt and my older sister all have gout. My little brother had stones at 19 and I started to get gout attacks in my early thirties. Growing up I was always very active, a runner, football, basketball, served in an Airborne Regiment, hiker and backpacker, none of it mattered the gene pool got me. I was very fit when it started but through the years it has seriously affected my life. It took 4 years before I could get a MD to listen, they figured I was just injured from my lifestyle, even when I gave them the extensive family history. Welcome to the club
embrace it cause it will only get waaay worse if you don't. Hi Charles,
My husband started with gout when he was 22, his father also had it. He ignored it as much as poss. Tried the medications on & off but did not persist because of the associated gout flairs & a really nasty reaction to one drug. No one had taken the trouble to explain to him the consequences of ignoring the gout. I think doctors underestimate the cardiovascular problems that it can cause – just tend to treat the presenting problem, as I think Goutpal has alluded to, ie pain.
Since using the Arctic Medical's monitor recently, he has realised the effects of a lower protein diet – makes an incredible difference, although not enough at this late stage. He is now 67. Would definately recommend the monitor – at least gives some control & knowledge of progress.
Good that it was picked up early. Potentially have a long and healthy life ahead of you.
Mid forties for me with mysterious pains in feet that would last 3 days but have me on a crutch. By late 40's it was confirmed as gout.
Charles, what kind of uric acid levels do you run?
Mine started at the age of 21. My dad has suffered through three or four attacks in his lifetime and his half brother is stricken with mild to middling attacks every 3 or 4 years. That is it as far as my family and gout. Then, there's me. I've always been very, very active, enjoying a variety of recreational pursuits and sports. I was a pretty good athlete through high school and college, playing a bunch of different organized sports. I really got in to skiing and mountain biking and climbing (outdoors stuff) around the age of 17 and became quite proficient at these as well. I got the same response from doctors as you – my lifestyle was causing the pain and 'injuries' and so forth. Yeah, I did get injured a lot, but that didn't explain the mystery swollen foot or wrist or elbow and eventually my knees. For the last 8 years or so, the gout really has affected what I could and couldn't do, but I soldiered on until I could soldier on no more. Doctors had me thinking I had all kinds of different problems and never singled out gout as the main culprit. It wasn't until this past October, after finding GoutPal.com, that things started to turn around for me. I was f'ing miserable! I finally received a positive diagnosis and have now taken the proper action to take control of my gout. This site has been indespensible. The advice offered by the people on here is better than you will find anywhere else on the web. The site is truly a blessing.
Take control of your gout NOW! Get your uric acid monitored, get on the necessary drugs to lower your UA levels, moderate your diet, make sure you find a good doctor that will work with you and most importantly, listen to you! It took me a while to accept it, but this is something you are going to have to deal with the rest of your life. I'm slowly on my way back and look forward to many more years in the mountains, doing what I like to do. Best of luck!
That just about says it Nate!
I hope more than a few Miedics read the copious notes here on GoutPal- and get updated that gout is not strictly and 'old boys' disease.
I'm sure some DO have a grip and we don't necessarily hear about the good stories.
It's noticeable though, how the reporting age of getting gout has lowered on here -now more younger people come forward with it.
Also the repeats of neglecting to diagnose a really historically well known condition!
Once that fitness of youth is lost- it's really hard to get back and we all need to keep on the' right side of good' on this by nipping gout in the bud as early as possible and thus staying ahead of it.
[Middle aged spread…
]Trev – I wonder if gout is striking people at a younger age now? I have no idea if there is any medical correlation for this or not. I know, for me personally, that the thought of having gout at a young age was embarassing. For a long time I suspected gout was my problem but I wasn't getting the backing of the doctors on this. You know, inexperienced docs taking UA readings when I wasn under attack and then telling me, “hey your UA levels are fine. Must be something else….” When I'd tell friends I thought I may have gout, I was teased and jokes were pointed in my direction. I think if they realized just how much pain I was in and what I was going through this might have been different. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about gout, especially with the younger generations. I'm hoping I can change these perceptions little by little and bring the reality of the disease to light. It's not something to be ashamed of!
I'm off for a short hike in the woods with the wife and the dog in the little snow that remains. Baby steps……. 🙂 Feels great to be getting back out, though!
Yeah, Nate…
Maybe Gout needs to be nenamed as Hereditary Reactive Hyperuricemia – or HRH
-the disease of Kings indeed!
It's easy to forget that, just a few hundred years ago, life expectancy was a lot less. Late twenties could almost be seen as middle-aged and people got married in their early teens to get 'on with it' early.
So it's all relative. The big difference then was diet for the masses- it was meat only on high days and Holy days and watered beer to replace poor drinking water. People were much more physical in their everyday lives and work too. Only the really lazy rich got gout- hence the indulgent tag..
Add it all up and see why gout is increrasing in the young. Even as close as the last war people were judged as never healthier- many on minimal survival diets.
Food and sweet production is huge biz now along with flab and fat fighting diets etc.
Add in medicine use like diuretics and mother nature, even if faulty, just takes advantage of the situation.
A lot of us wouldn't have giout- or anything else for that matter … we'd be pushing up daisys!
High levels of childhood obesity in the West are not going to help reduce figures for future gout incidence , so it may well get increasing attention.
A posiible for Nanny State to start on? Now what's in your fridge….
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