What is the best way for an elderly person to control gout and still enjoy eating the foods he wants?

Answer 1

Gout was once thought to be due to drinking too much alcohol and eating too many rich foods. Although eating certain foods and drinking alcohol may trigger a rise in the level of uric acid in the body, these habits may not by themselves cause gout. Gout is most often caused by an overproduction of uric acid (due to metabolism problems) or decreased elimination of uric acid by the kidneys.

Home Treatment
Gout, an inflammatory joint disease causing acute pain and swelling, usually develops after a number of years of buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints and surrounding tissue. If you have been diagnosed with gout, take steps to:
Decrease the pain of an acute attack.
Rest the affected joint until the attack eases and for 24 hours after the attack.
Elevate painful joints.
Apply a warm compress to the affected joints. If this doesn't help, try putting ice packs on affected joints.
Relieve inflammation by taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Do not take aspirin, which may abruptly change uric acid levels and may make symptoms worse.
Prevent recurrences.
Being overweight is a risk factor for gout. If you are overweight, a diet that is low in fat may help you lose weight. However, avoid fasting or very low-calorie diets. Very low-calorie diets increase the amount of uric acid produced by the body and may bring on a gout attack. For more information, see the topic Healthy Weight.
Alcohol can reduce the release of uric acid by the kidneys into your urine, causing an increase of uric acid in your body. Beer, which is rich in purines, appears to be worse than some other beverages that contain alcohol.4
Diets high in meat and seafood (high-purine foods) can raise uric acid levels.5
Certain medications that are given for other conditions reduce the amount of uric acid eliminated by the kidneys. These include pills that reduce the amount of salt and water in the body (diuretics, or "water pills"), niacin, and regular use of low-dose aspirin. Talk to your health professional about other medications that are equally effective but safer to use for people with gout.
Cold hands and feet can precipitate an attack of gout. Try to keep your hands and feet warm, and take extra care to cover your hands and feet during cold winter months.
Modify your risk factors.
Keep your weight within the normal range for your height.
Follow a moderate exercise program.
Avoid a diet rich in meat and seafood.5
Have an evaluation for lead poisoning if you have been exposed to lead in your job or through hobbies.
Continue to take any medications prescribed to you for gout. However, if you have not been taking medications that lower uric acid (such as probenecid or allopurinol) prior to the attack, do not begin taking it when the attack begins. These medications will not help relieve acute pain and may actually worsen it.

Medications
Medication treatment for gout may be done in two separate stages.

First, the pain, swelling, redness, and warmth (inflammation) during an attack of gout is treated until the symptoms have gone away.
Second, after the inflammation has subsided (2 to 4 weeks), other medications may be used to reduce the uric acid level in the blood and reduce the frequency of future attacks.
Medications to lower uric acid levels are not given until a gout attack is over. Starting these medications during a gout attack can cause movement of uric acid stored elsewhere in the body, which can make the gout attack worse.

Long-term medication treatment depends on how high your uric acid levels are and how likely other gout attacks are. In general, the higher the uric acid levels and the more frequent the attacks, the more likely it is that long-term medication treatment will help.

During a gout attack

You may already be taking a medication to lower uric acid levels in the blood at the time of an attack. If so, you should continue taking your medication, even during an attack.

If you have been prescribed a medication to lower uric acid levels (probenecid or allopurinol) and have not been taking the medication, it is more likely that another gout attack will occur. Do not start taking the medication during an attack. Medications that control the uric acid levels in your blood can also make the uric acids stored elsewhere in the body move into your bloodstream. Starting these medications while you are having a gout attack can make your attack much worse.

Medication Choices
Medication treatment for gout usually involves some combination of:

Short-term treatment, using medications that relieve pain and reduce inflammation during an acute attack or prevent a recurrence of an acute attack. These medications may include:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), except for aspirin, which should never be used to relieve pain during a gout attack. Aspirin may abruptly change uric acid levels in the blood and may make the attack worse.7
Colchicine, which may also be used for long-term treatment.
Corticosteroids, given in cases of gout that do not respond to NSAIDs or colchicine.
ACTH, if you cannot tolerate other medications.
Long-term treatment, using medications to lower uric acid levels in the blood, which can reduce the frequency and severity of gout attacks in the future. This may include:
Uricosuric agents to increase elimination of uric acid by the kidneys.
Allopurinol to decrease production of uric acid by the body.
Colchicine, which is often prescribed to prevent flare-ups during the first months that you are taking uric acid-lowering medications.
What To Think About
Relief from symptoms in a gout attack often occurs within 24 hours if treatment is started immediately.
During a gout attack, your health professional will prescribe a maximum daily dose of one or more medications used for short-term treatment to stop the attack quickly. Doses are then reduced as the symptoms go away.
NSAIDs other than aspirin are used most often to treat a gout attack.
Because all medications that lower uric acid levels in the blood have associated risks, an accurate diagnosis of gout is necessary before they are used.
Aspirin should never be used to relieve pain during a gout attack because it slows the elimination of uric acid and can raise uric acid levels further.
Gout attacks in older people can take longer to go away.
Some people with gout have continuing problems because they do not take their prescribed medication. While most people will need treatment for the rest of their lives to keep their uric acid levels in their blood normal, they may feel perfectly healthy the majority of the time and wonder why they should continue taking their medication. If you stop taking your prescribed medication, nothing may happen at first, but after a while another gout attack is likely to occur. Without treatment, future attacks are likely to be more severe and occur more often.

Research to develop new medications to treat the symptoms of gout is ongoing. Scientists also are studying which medications lower uric acid levels safely.

Losartan is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension); it also lowers uric acid levels.8
Fenofibrate is used to control certain fats in the blood (triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol); it may also increase elimination of uric acid by the kidneys.
Pegylated urate oxidase may lower uric acid levels by changing uric acids into an absorbable molecule. This medication is currently being evaluated in the United States.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Gout is a condition where uric acid crystals build up in the body.
This can happen in the area of the big toe and cause a lot of pain.
Our foods contain purines; some foods are higher in this than others.
The doctor may place you on a lower purine diet (of which they will usually provide you a list of foods to avoid. There is also medications that can lower the uric acid in the blood
Here an alternative way to cure gout?

Answer 4

My mother has gout. Aside from the medication for gout, they say that cutting back on animal products, especially meat, helps. Cherries are supposed to be good for it.

Answer 5

Talk to a doctor. My dad used to have gout and I don't know what he did to get over it, but he was under a doctor's care. I think there are some things you may have to do without, but check with your doctor first.

Answer 6

I take one allopurinol daily (dosages depends on yourself) At the slightest hint of an attack, I take Naprosen and colchichine. Again the dosage depends on you and your doctor.I exercise daily and consume a lot of water.The result is I can drink alcohol and eat anything.The point is that you should know yourself better than anyone.You should know what not to eat too much of,and the same goes for the drinking. Recently i been taking these dietary supplements and been getting more movements in the limbs and need for my above perscription.

Answer 7

Whoever wrote that piece did a good job. My mother worked in nursing homes for many years. First she was a nurse's aid and then went to school and got her LPN degree. Mom always said she wished someone would write down all the stories the nursing home residents had to tell. She did listen as much as her busy job permitted. The people who most need reminding to visit and care are the families of the nursing home residents. Too many stick mom or dad or grandma in the home and then try to forget about them.

Answer 8

Gout?!!! Take him to a doctor they can control that now and he wont have any problem with it anymore.

Answer 9

take medications especially used to treat gout.

Answer 10

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Answer 11

Try alternative medicine. I understand that cherries, especially black cherries, help and other foods.