Uric Acid - Painful Swollen Big Toe - Is That Gout?
It is very common that a swollen big toe is caused by gouty inflammation.
Many first time gout sufferers around the age of 30 (which may sound too young to have gout) tend to deny about it and thought it is some sort of sprain or twist during their daily activities.
But it is not uncommon nowadays for someone to have his first gout attack in his 20s.
The popular way to confirm it is through a blood test to find out the blood uric acid level.
Conventionally, doctors will only confirm someone is having gout after the blood test result shows an elevated uric acid level or hyperuricemia.
Actually, this is not an accurate way to confirm it.
There are many cases in which the blood test result of a gout victim shows a healthy level of uric acid but he is actually suffering from gout.
This is because gout is not caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood.
It is caused by the crystallization of uric acid in the joints.
Blood is a dynamic fluid in which its contents fluctuate at different time of the day.
There are just too much of variables in a blood test that can affect the reliability of the result collected.
The only way to precisely determine whether the inflamed big toe is actually a gout attack is through arthroscopy in which a fine sharp endoscopic camera will be inserted into the joint through a small incision to find out if there is any urate crystals exist in the synovial fluid.
Another way is the physician will withdraw some of the synovial fluid and put it under the microscope to confirm the existence of urate crystals that triggers the gouty inflammation.
These procedures are accurate, but it is too expensive and risky to be used as a mean to confirm if someone actually having a gout attack.
Instead of wasting your time and money to go through all the trouble just to confirm the existence of the crystals in the joints, there are a few hidden gout symptoms that you can use as a reference to diagnose if you are having gout.
Because of the high uric acid content in the body, a person who has gout usually shows signs of acidosis long before he has his first gout attack.
Among the symptoms of acidosis are:
You need to do something to reverse the acidosis before it robs away the quality of your life.
The only effective way to achieve it is through alkalizing diet.
Increasing the pH or alkalinity of your body can improve the ability of your body fluids to dissolve the uric acid and prevent it from crystallizes.
Many first time gout sufferers around the age of 30 (which may sound too young to have gout) tend to deny about it and thought it is some sort of sprain or twist during their daily activities.
But it is not uncommon nowadays for someone to have his first gout attack in his 20s.
The popular way to confirm it is through a blood test to find out the blood uric acid level.
Conventionally, doctors will only confirm someone is having gout after the blood test result shows an elevated uric acid level or hyperuricemia.
Actually, this is not an accurate way to confirm it.
There are many cases in which the blood test result of a gout victim shows a healthy level of uric acid but he is actually suffering from gout.
This is because gout is not caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood.
It is caused by the crystallization of uric acid in the joints.
Blood is a dynamic fluid in which its contents fluctuate at different time of the day.
There are just too much of variables in a blood test that can affect the reliability of the result collected.
The only way to precisely determine whether the inflamed big toe is actually a gout attack is through arthroscopy in which a fine sharp endoscopic camera will be inserted into the joint through a small incision to find out if there is any urate crystals exist in the synovial fluid.
Another way is the physician will withdraw some of the synovial fluid and put it under the microscope to confirm the existence of urate crystals that triggers the gouty inflammation.
These procedures are accurate, but it is too expensive and risky to be used as a mean to confirm if someone actually having a gout attack.
Instead of wasting your time and money to go through all the trouble just to confirm the existence of the crystals in the joints, there are a few hidden gout symptoms that you can use as a reference to diagnose if you are having gout.
Because of the high uric acid content in the body, a person who has gout usually shows signs of acidosis long before he has his first gout attack.
Among the symptoms of acidosis are:
- Thick and dark blood
- Frequently feel sleepy and tired
- Gastric problems
- Often feel sourness in the muscles
- Forgetful or lack of mental focus
- Drop in sex performance or libido
- Bad breath and foul smelling gas
You need to do something to reverse the acidosis before it robs away the quality of your life.
The only effective way to achieve it is through alkalizing diet.
Increasing the pH or alkalinity of your body can improve the ability of your body fluids to dissolve the uric acid and prevent it from crystallizes.
