Gout is a chronic, painful condition that affects over 9 million people in the US. Thankfully, the medical community has made great strides in the understanding and treatment of this terrible affliction. Despite this, the demand for gout treatment therapies remains well below the expected levels.
This conundrum can possibly be explained by misinformation and/or resistance to making a serious commitment to lifestyle changes. Whatever the case may be, we thought it might be helpful to provide qualified answers to some of your most important questions about gout.
Gout Is an Ancient “Disease for the Rich”, Why Are We Seeing Cases Go Up Around the World Today?
While it is true that cases of gout were usually observed in middle-aged men of wealthy families centuries ago, the underlying causes are still relevant today. Today, many countries around the world are struggling with obesity and high blood pressure issues which are leading risk factors for gout.
In addition, people are living longer than in previous centuries, so cases of gout in older women are on the rise. Even if you never had issues with hyperuricemia in your earlier years, uric acid can still build-up to the point of causing gout flares.