FOR centuries, gout has been shrugged off by many as a rich, wine-guzzling old man’s disease.
And when Henry VIII was diagnosed, it became firmly entrenched in popular belief as ‘‘.
The truth is, gout doesn’t discriminate – it can strike anyone, regardless of gender, wealth, age, or lifestyle.
Around one to two in every 100 people in the UK are thought to have – and cases are on the rise.
The most recent data, from 2013found the prevalence of people diagnosed with gout in the UK rose by 64 per cent between 1997 and 2012.
, and have been blamed.
One of these is TV personality , who has recently opened up about suffering from the agonising ailment.
The presenter was diagnosed after filmingChannel 5travelogue where she sampled the delights of travelling in style.
“I thought gout was only for old men but I have been living quite a lavish life,” Josie, 40, recalled.
“Before I filmed this show, I caught a lot of flights, I drank a lot of champagne, I ate a lot of rich food and I had little sleep.That's how I ended up getting gout.”
Josie is one of many famous faces to have suffered from the condition in recent years.
In January, The Sun exclusively revealed Gavin and Stacey star, , had struggled with the illness,
Meanwhile, TV personality spoke about developing pre-gout during a conversation with Jamie Laing on The Great Company podcast.
Gout is a form of inflammatory caused by excessive uric acid in the blood.
It causes tiny, needle-like crystals to form in the joints, triggering inflammation that leads to pain, swelling, and redness – most commonly in the big toe.
If left untreated, it can lead to joint deformities, and even .
Josie confirmed she is now gout-free after returning to a less lavish .
“As soon as I stopped catching all the flights and started drinking a bit more water and less champagne, it levelled itself out,” she said.
There is no cure for gout, meaning people who have it are prone to flare-ups.
These flare-ups can be triggered by rich in purine (the substance that creates uric acid in the blood when broken down by the body).
This includes liver, anchovies, mackerel, dried beans and peas and yeast-rich drinks and foods, particularly beer.
Routine blood tests will usually identify excess levels of uric acid, which will alert doctors to the need for treatment.
But most people won’t know they have gout until they suffer a sudden, painful flare-up.
Symptoms of the disease include:
- Severe pain in any joint (usually the big toe, fingers, wrists, elbows or knees)
- Red, hot or swollen skin over the affected joint. “Gout does not cause lasting damage to joints if you get treatment straight away” says the NHS
- Warmth in the joint area
- Chills and fever
- Deformities
- Hard lumps, called tophi, under your skin (can be painful)
According to theNHS, if you fear you have gout, you should see a GP straight away.
A recent study found that one in six sufferers of gout will experience another flare-up within 12 months.
These can be prevented by taking daily doses of urate-lowering therapy drugs, of which allopurinol is the most common (it is available under several brand names including Zyloric and Uricto).
The UK Gout Societyalso advises cutting down on foods rich in purine.
Drinking plenty of water helps flush uric acid from your body, reducing the risk of crystal formation in your joints, it adds.
Alongside this, lifestyle changes are necessary, such as , exercising more, and
However, even drinking, eating and living ‘well' is no guarantee of immunity.
A 2018 study, published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that genetics plays a more important role in the disease’s development than diet.
If you find yourself in the grip of an agonising attack, the most important thing is to treat the affected joint with a great deal of tender loving care.
The Gout Society suggests resting the joint in an elevated position.
And while regular is advisable once the flare-up has subsided, it is never, ever a good idea to try to run on a gouty foot.
