Gout (GOWT) is a painful, inflammatory disease of the joints caused by deposits of crystals of uric (VUR-ik) acid.
Gout comes in two types: primary and secondary. Primary gout results from excess uric acid that accumulates in the system of people with a genetic background of gout and strikes mainly men 40 years of age and older. Secondary gout occurs in situations in which the body is presented with large amounts of nuclear purines to metabolize because billions of excessive cells are turning over. This happens most frequently in acute leukemia * . When the leukemia responds to treatment, the uric acid concentrations subside and gout treatments can be stopped. Besides primary and secondary gout, doctors sometimes describe a patient's condition as tophaceous gout, a chronic form of the disease in which the uric acid crystals form hard masses, called tophi, around the joints.
Studies from 2010 and 2011 show that the prevalence of gout in the United States has been rising over the last 20 years and now affects 8.3 million Americans.
See also Arthritis
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Kelly, Janice, K. “Gout Incidence Increasing, but Most Patients Go Untreated.” Medscape, January 17, 2014. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/819441 (accessed October 21, 2015).
Gout Education. “What Is Gout?” Gout and Uric Acid Education Society. http://gouteducation.org/patient/what-is-gout/ (accessed July 14, 2015).
American College of Rheumatology. 2200 Lake Blvd NE, Atlanta, GA 30319. Telephone: 404-633-3777. Website: https://www.rheumatology.org/ (accessed October 21, 2015).
Arthritis Foundation. PO Box 7669, Atlanta, GA 30357-0669. Toll-free: 800-283-7800. Website: http://www.arthritis.org (accessed October 21, 2015).
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. 1 AMS Circle, Bethesda, MD 20892-3675. Toll-free: 877-226-4267. Website: http://www.niams.nih.gov (accessed October 21, 2015).
* urine is the liquid waste material secreted by the kidneys and removed from the body through the urinary tract.
* leukemia (loo-KEE-me-uh) is a form of cancer characterized by the body's uncontrolled production of abnormal white blood cells.