Reading gout test results Posted: 04-16-08 09:03am
I recently woke up to a considerable pain
in my left foot, specifically around the
arch of my foot. I hadn't done any
exercise, any strenuous walking or had any
accidents. I booked an appointment for the
doctors a few days in after the pain got
unbearable. The night before the
appointment the pain subsided considerably
- whether this was the soaking in hot
water, or the anti inflammatory gel I am
not sure. Anyway the pain was still slight
and the doctor prescribed
anti-inflammatories - Celebrex I believe.
He advised me that if the pain was gone in
a few days then fine, otherwise to come
back and get a blood test.
He said that it sounded and looked like
Gout but he thought I was too young for
this - I am 23. I had a similar episode
almost 5 months ago, but I didnt go to the
doctor at this point.
I returned a few days later for blood
tests. These showed that my URIC ACID
levels were 8.6 mg/dL. He examined me
again and advised that I did indeed have
Gout. I was prescribed Zyloric, 100mg
tablets once a day.
What I really would like to know is this:
is an 8.6mg/dL reading particularly bad
(Ive seen some readings on here of 9.7
stretching to 14).
I am also a little unsure about Gout
itself. Is it a genetic deficiency that
would always have been present, but has
merely reared its head due to over
consumption of food or alcohol (Ive spent
3 years working in the Med as a barman)?
Or is it a condition caused purely by food
and alcohol? Is it possible that it will
disappear if my diet and weight are
controlled.
I have been instructed by the doctor to
stay away from Alcohol, specifically beer,
and red meat. Ive been eating brown rice,
some chicken - I believe this doesnt have
a massive amount of purines - drinking
lots of water, coffee now and then, green
tea, vegetables, occasionally fish, pasta,
and walking more.
Today the pain in my left foot returned.
Is this normal, and should I start my anti
inflammatories again, and continue with
the Zyloric, or should I stop the Zyloric
for the time being?
Thanks in advance,
Don.
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gallego1968
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Posts: 32 Location: Barnet, England
Posted: 04-16-08 12:18pm
It does sound like gout, i first had a
gout attack when i was 24 years old so
it`s nothing to do with age.
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stanl
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 24 Location: San Francisco, CA USA
Posted: 04-16-08 13:13pm
Gout can be hereditary and/or from the
diet. The 8.6 reading is not particularly
high, but it's all relative. If there has
been a sudden upward or downward change
(for whatever reason), that probably
contributed for gout showing up more than
the absolute number itself. (Many people
have high UA levels and never get gout.)
Your gout returning could have been caused
by Zyloric: the allopurinol in Zyloric
inhibits production of uric acid so the
level of UA in your body could have
suddenly dropped causing gout all over
again. This happens to some people who
start using allopurinol. You can just wait
it out (I don't know how many days that
would take) for your body to adjust to the
new UA level, or start taking a strong
anti-inflammatory together with the
Zyloric. Call the doctor and he'll give
you better advise. He may prescribe
indomethacin, which is usually the
anti-inflammatory of choice for gout.
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halfcow
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 11
Posted: 04-18-08 10:51am
The replies above are correct. In my
experience, most doctors (and other
people) are under the impression that gout
is caused by the foods/drinks we consume.
That is true in most cases, but there are
also other people (like myself) whose
bodies simply do not process uric acid
efficiently. Therefore, we in the latter
group have to restrict our diets even
more, because even a small rise in our
acid level can result in a gout attack.
I wish it were as simple as some people
think. I started out like you, by
eliminating red meat and beer, but then I
discovered that too much protein (of any
kind) could cause an attack. So, I no
longer feel guilty about cheating with a
steak every once-in-a-while, as long as I
balance it out with good veggies and
fruit.
Of course, everyone's body is different
and it may take you a while to figure out
exactly which foods can trigger your gout
attacks. My advice would be to keep a
diary of everything you consume for a few
weeks/months. This will make it easier to
find a pattern for what foods triggered
your attacks.
