Gout

An inflammatory arthritis that usually flares up for a week or two before going away is called gout. The lower leg, or big toe, is where gout flares up most often. Elevated amounts of serum urate build up in the body, resulting in gout and the potential development of needle-shaped crystals within and surrounding the joint. The outcome is the development of arthritis and joint inflammation in the joint.

When the body either creates too much or removes too little urea, urea levels increase in the body. Men experience it more frequently than women do. Typically, gout first appears in middle age. Women usually do not experience gout until beyond menopause. Hence, they usually share the disease later in life than men. Because of increased blood uric acid levels (serum urate levels >7 mg/dl in men and >6 mg/dl in women), monosodium urate crystals usually deposit in joints, bones, and subcutaneous tissues. Acute severe arthritis that flares up frequently is caused by inflammatory responses...