As anyone who suffers from gout can attest, when the condition flares up, it causes tremendous pain. Crystallized uric acid inflames the joints much like arthritis, most often in the feet. In fact, gout classifies as a form of arthritis. Another condition called pseudogout mimics the appearance and pain associated with gout. Pseudogout, however, is caused by calcium rather than uric acid.
Gout and Secondary Gout
Medical professionals divide gout into three forms. The most common, regular gout, occurs when your body does not eject sufficient amounts of the uric acid created as a waste product from digesting purines. You eat purines in such foods as meat and fish, as well as some vegetables. For most people, the kidneys flush out the uric acid. In others, who have inherited gout, the excess uric acid lodges in the foot joints and crystallizes. This produces redness, heat and tenderness at the joint site along with severe pain during the average five to 10 days of an attack. Secondary gout, the second form, exists for the same reasons as traditional gout, except that you do not inherit it. Typically, you will experience secondary gout if you take new medications. Specifically, such anti-hypertensive drugs as diuretics, known as water pills, can produce secondary gout. This occurs because diuretics flush excess water from your body and may cause uric acid to crystallize. A change in medication usually can stop secondary gout attacks.
Pseudogout
Unlike the other forms of gout, pseudogout or calcium pyrophosphate deposition, occurs when you have a sudden build-up of calcium in your body. Generally, this build-up lodges in your knees. Calcium, such as uric acid, can crystallize and produce the same symptoms as gout and secondary gout. Your knee may appear red and very sensitive to your touch. Every movement of your knew during a pseudogout attack can cause the same type of excruciating pain as a gout attack.
Calcium
Your body needs the mineral calcium every single day. You generally ingest it through dairy products and other foods. Vitamin D, which you normally get through food and exposure to sunlight, helps your body absorb the calcium. You also may take calcium as a stand-alone supplement. Nearly every multivitamin on the market also contains some calcium. Because of your body's constant need for this mineral, it is hard to overdose on it, but it can happen. Too much calcium can give you constipation and other side effects. Over a long period, too much calcium can even cause calcification or hardening of your soft tissues such as your heart, making it harder for your heart to work properly.
Solutions
Aside from the obvious solution of cutting down on your calcium intake, your doctor may recommend several types of medicines to fight your pseudogout problem. For example, you may need to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs you purchase over the counter or from a pharmacy with your doctor's prescription. Over-the-counter NSAIDs include naproxen and ibuprofen. The most common prescription NSAID for gout and pseudogout is indomethacin. Your physician also may try another common gout medicine, colchicine, to help relieve the inflammation. MayoClinic.com indicates that in severe cases, your practitioner may withdraw fluid from your pseudogout-affected joint to relieve the pressure. Ask your physician about the best solution to your condition.
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