Gout is a painful type of arthritis, manifested by swollen, red and stiff joints. It develops when high quantities of uric acid in your blood form crystals, which aggregate around a joint. In essence, the gout diet reduces the intake of foods high in purines, waste products which break down to form uric acid. Although dietary measures can help, you may still need medication. Drug intervention falls in two categories: medications for alleviating attacks and those for preventing complications.
Medications for Gout Attacks
Your doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs for pain and inflammation management. These may include ibuprofen, naproxen and indomethacin. Side effects of drugs in this category include abdominal pain, bleeding and ulcers.
Your doctor may recommend colchicine if you are unable to take NSAIDs. Although this drug may relieve pain, it has the disadvantage of causing gastrointestinal side effects that many patients find intolerable.
Corticosteroids may alleviate pain and inflammation, but physicians usually reserve them for patients unable to take NSAIDs or colchicine. These drugs can produce serious side effects, so health care practitioners prescribe the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time.
Medications to Prevent Complications
Doctors sometimes prescribe drugs called xanthine oxidase inhibitors to reduce the quantity of uric acid manufactured by the body. Examples of medications in this category include allopurinol and febuxostat. This class of drugs can sometimes cause a new acute gout attack if the current attack has not completely subsided.
Another way of reducing uric acid is through medication that enables the kidneys to eliminate it more efficiently. Probenecid is a drug that falls within this category. Although it reduces uric acid from the body, it has the disadvantage of increasing it in the urine. Adverse effects include rash, abdominal pain and kidney stones.
Purines and Gout
The body forms uric acid when it breaks down compounds called purines. Although these substances occur naturally in the body, certain foods also contain them. High-content protein sources of purines include organ meats, herring and anchovies, while vegetable sources include asparagus and mushrooms. A gout diet assists in reducing the production and facilitating the elimination of uric acid. While this diet is not a treatment for the disease, it can help prevent attacks and lessen their severity.
Diet Guidelines
All animal protein sources contain purines, so restrict your intake to 4 to 6 oz. per day. These foods include red meat, fatty fish and seafood. Incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet. Avoid or restrict alcoholic beverages. Drink plenty of water and other fluids to help flush uric acid from the body. Consume 16 to 32 oz. of nonfat or low-fat dairy products each day. Reduce refined carbohydrates and eat more whole grain products, fruits and vegetables. Limit or avoid foods containing sugar.
