Posts Tagged Beating Gout
Questions Being Raised About the Importance of Diet on Gout
Posted by Victor Konshin in Diet on August 27th, 2009
An article that will appear in the September Issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association calls into question the long held belief that those with gout need to maintain a “purine-restricted” diet. This article points out that some foods, such as some vegetables are very high in purines, yet research has consistently shown that consumption of these vegetables is strongly correlated with a reduction in uric acid levels and in gout attacks. Research has also shown that beer is strongly correlated with higher instances of gout even though modern beers often have very low levels of purines.
Although diet has long been assumed to be associated with hyperuricemia, this association remains to be verified. Studies that have reviewed the relationship of diet and hyperuricemia have found it to be a difficult and complex issue.
Yet Another Study Shows Primary Care Doctors Often Do Not Correctly Manage Gout
Posted by Victor Konshin in New Research on July 14th, 2009
Another study showing most primary care doctors do not know how to properly manage gout appeared in the journal Rheumatology International this month. This study found that only 27.5% of patients had their uric acid level measured on, at least, an annual basis. This means that doctors where unable to evaluate the effectiveness of uric acid lowering treatment, that is, if they even bothered to prescribe one.
This is another shining example of why it’s important to arm yourself with the facts on how this disease is managed. There is a lot of very bad information out there and this misinformation results in you being in pain! That’s a pretty compelling reason why you should become familiar with the proper and scientifically backed methods of managing this disease. Not to replace your doctor, but to complement his care.
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Is Febuxostat (Uloric®) Really Better Than Allopurinol?
Posted by Victor Konshin in Gout Treatments on July 3rd, 2009
UK’s National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence doesn’t think so. In December it issued guidance that the benefits febuxostat (sold in the US under the brand name Uloric®) have not been clearly demonstrated.
The argument is that the pharmaceutical companies tested febuxostat against a fixed dose of 300mg of allopurinol per day. Even though this is the way most doctors prescribe allopurinol, it is not the best way to use it according the expert “best practices” guidelines. The appropriate way is to adjust the dose of allopurinol until uric acid levels are lowered to below 6mg/dL (333µm/L). Allopurinol can safely be prescribed up to 900mg/day.
Because the pharmaceutical companies did not show that febuxostat was more effective than allopurinol when allopurinol is used this way, and because of the cost and other risks, they concluded that for most people it best to just stick with allopurinol.
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Gout and High Fructose Corn Syrup
Posted by Victor Konshin in Diet on June 1st, 2009
Last week I sent out a press release announcing my new, Beating Gout Starter Kit and got some surprising feedback. I received a letter from Audrae Erickson, President of the Corn Refiners Association criticizing my characterization of high-fructose corn syrup as a leading cause of gout, so I thought I would address the subject here.
The scientific research clearly shows that fructose has a direct metabolization path to uric acid. There have been several studies that have looking at soft drink consumption, both in it relationship to it ability to create uric acid in the body and directly as a cause of gout. These studies have shown a strong links between consumption of fructose and higher levels of uric acid and more frequent gout.
The Most Misused Gout Drug, Colchicine
Posted by Victor Konshin in Gout Treatments on May 19th, 2009
Gout is a disease that medical science obsessed over for, well, since medical science came into being. Only in the last fifty years has gout become a “forgotten” disease. Through this long and amazing history, gout has had a more or less faithful companion: the autumn crocus flower. It’s from the bulb of this flower that colchicine comes.
Some reports say that colchicine has been in use for over 6000 years while other reports say its a much newer drug that has only been in use for 2000 years. Regardless, it is still considered to be a first line drug by many doctors. Unfortunately, those doctors are grossly out-of-date. Not only in using colchicine first, but also in how they use it…
Swine Flu and Gout
Posted by Victor Konshin in General, Gout Treatments on April 28th, 2009
I have been sitting in my office this morning with the television on, watching the coverage of the swine flu outbreak. I am always impress at how much panic an infections disease can generate. Personally, if the swine flu does become pandemic, I hope I am one of the first to come down with the disease. Why? With a disease as virulent as the flu, the odds are very good that I will develop the disease eventually and if that happens, I want to get it before the medical system is overloaded and drugs like Tamiflu run out. Beside, I am a healthy 38 year old and the risk of serious complications, let alone death, are small. This way, I would get the best care, medications, will get it over with quickly, and be healthy (and immune to the disease) when the disease hits it’s peak so I can help care for others. So you won’t find me walking around with a mask on – which really doesn’t provide much protection anyway.
What does swine flu have to do with gout?
Not much really, however some medications used to treat gout can suppress the immune system which can make you more susceptible to disease including the flu and can make the flu worse if you should get it. If you are unlucky enough to develop the flu just as you are being treated with corticosteroids or colchicine for a gout attack, it could make it much worse - particularly if you are elderly. Note that NSAIDs and medications to lower uric acid levels do not suppress the immune system.
Of course, if you manage gout properly by lowering uric acid levels, there is no need to ever treat a gout attack because you will not get them.
Update: NYC Assistant Principal in Critical Condition
In New York City an Assistant Principal has come down with the N1H1 flu and is now in critical condition. It has been reported in the media that the only preexisting health condition he had was gout. As a result I have seen a lot of interest in any possible connection between gout and swine flu. It has been reported in the media that this Assistant Principal is suffering from kidney failure. As I have written previously (see,Is Gout Dangerous) that gout is strongly associated with kidney failure. If fact, nearly all people suffering from gout have significant kidney damage at the time of death.
So, did gout combine with swine flu contribute to this man’s kidney failure? That remains to be seen, but I would not be surprised if this turns out to be the case. The flu could have found a comfortable home in the already damaged kidneys. As the disease spreads, we will see if more people suffering from gout develop serious kidney complications.
Update 2: NYC Assistant Principal Passes Away
Unfortunately, NYC Assistant Principal Matthew Wiener passed away Sunday, May 17th. Our sympathies go out to his family.
As for the connection between gout and swine flu… Its unlikely that gout played a role, but it is possible. I hope that the CDC takes a close look to see if there was a connection. If they can find a connection, then I hope that they will at least advise the public of the risk and advise the medical community to treat those that have gout and develop swine flu more aggressively.
The Impact of Gout on Your Quality-of-Life, Finances and Family
Posted by Victor Konshin in General, Gout Treatments on April 27th, 2009
If you have gout, you understand that gout has a definite impact on your quality-of-life during an attack — life sucks. The pain can be unbearable. Researchers have looked at this question more quantitatively though and come up with some interesting findings.
As we know, gout is caused by uric acid crystalizing in our joints, which causes an immune response (if you don’t know this, see, Gout Basics). Even when you are not in the middle of a gout attack, if you have high uric acid levels, crystals are always forming and dissolving and not just in your joints, but all over your body. These crystals are seen as invaders by your immune system which causes it to respond. This causes your immune system to alway be in a heightened state of alert and it causes inflammation in your body which can cause many deadly diseases (see, Is Gout Dangerous). But the problems do not stop there…
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The Truth About Homeopathy
Posted by Victor Konshin in Alternative Medicine, Gout Treatments on April 15th, 2009
I am going to start by saying something that is going to upset a lot of people: homeopathy is a fraud. Homeopathy started about five hundred years ago under the idea that “what makes a man ill also cures him.” This idea struggled until it reached it reached a peak in popularity in the 1800s. However, it was criticized heavily by mainstream scientists and was eventually discredited to the point where there where few followers by the 1920s. However, in the 1970s, sensing a commercial opportunity, homeopathy underwent an worldwide revival. Unfortunately, homeopathy does not work. This is not an opinion by the way, but a statement that is backed up by two things, 1) the scientific research and 2) common sense.
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Why is Gout so Often Mismanaged
Posted by Victor Konshin in General on April 13th, 2009
I often quote the statistic that 78% of doctors do not properly manage gout. This statistic is true (based on the research study that reported it) but the big question is, why? This article with take a look at this question.
First off, let me start by saying that I am not someone that bashes doctors and the medical community or says things like, “all doctors are arrogant, lazy, over-paid idiots.” Though, as with any profession, there will always be some that fit this description, most doctors are caring, compassionate, highly competent people that do a fantastic job. The problem however, is that the medical profession is the victim of technology, its own success and its failures…
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How to Stop a Gout Attack
Posted by Victor Konshin in Gout Treatments on April 9th, 2009
One of the myths that I wrote about in my Top 10 Gout Myths post is: “Once a gout attacks starts, there is nothing you can do but ride it out”. In this post I will talk about what to do when you feel a gout attack coming on.
Act Fast!
Gout is caused by an immune response to uric acid crystals forming in the joint (see Gout Basics). This immune response starts a spiral that quickly causes massive inflammation and pain. The key to stopping a gout attack is to break the spiral!
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Welcome to The Beating Gout Blog!
Thank you for visiting The Beating Gout Blog. In this blog I will discuss the latest news on gout research, treatments and news around gout. I hope you find this information useful and feel free to leave comments or ask questions.
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