Quiz: Test Your Gout Smarts

True

False

Both men and women can get gout, but it’s much more common in men. Gout usually develops in middle age or later in men and after menopause in women.  

It’s rare to develop gout before age 30. For people who develop gout that young, the disease can be more severe.

Cholesterol

Uric acid

Fat

Calcium

Uric acid can form when your body breaks down purines — a substance found in many foods. Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes easily through your kidneys. But when too much uric acid builds up in your body, forming sharp crystals in and around your joints, you can have painful gout attacks — also known as flares.

A tingling feeling in your toe

A headache

Indigestion

All of the above

Many people with gout say they have a tingling feeling in a joint right before a flare starts. The pain can be so sudden and severe that it often wakes up people in the middle of the night. The affected joint is usually red, swollen, hot, and painful to touch.

True

False

A blood test can measure your uric acid level, but that’s not enough to diagnose gout. Even people without gout can have high uric acid. And people with a flare can have temporarily normal or low levels. 

To find out if you have gout, your health care provider will draw fluid from an inflamed joint with a needle and look for uric acid crystals. The shape, color, and appearance of the crystals can help diagnose gout.

Big toe

Wrist

Ankle

All of the above

The most common place to have a gout flare is the big toe. But you also can have an attack in your ankle, wrist, knee, elbow, or any other joint.

True

False

When you have a gout attack, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) might help with the pain. Your health care provider also may give you a prescription for a stronger NSAID; steroids (like prednisone); or a drug called colchicine to have on hand in case of a gout attack.

Taking aspirin, however, can be a bad idea. Aspirin can cause your uric acid levels to increase, which can bring on a gout flare or make a flare worse. Other medicines, such as diuretics (water pills) and cyclosporine, also can trigger a flare. That’s why it’s important that your rheumatologist knows about all your medications and that all your doctors know you have gout — especially if they’re going to start you on new medications.

Do gentle stretches

Apply ice

Apply heat

Wrap the joint

If you can bear the pressure, an ice pack may offer some pain relief. Gout flares often hurt so much, though, that you can’t move your joint. That’s why it’s better to rest it than to stretch it. Many people say it hurts just to feel a sheet on their joint at night, so you may want to take off bedcovers. And you definitely don’t want to wrap the joint.

Because it’s hereditary

Because it was diagnosed by a king’s doctor

Because of its association with rich food

You may be more likely to have gout because of your genes, but that’s not how gout earned its royal nickname. Historically, gout has been associated with a lifestyle full of rich foods and plenty of alcohol — the kind of diet that only kings and the wealthy could afford. While diet can trigger a flare, we now know that gout affects people regardless of  their social status.

Sardines and anchovies

Pastas and rice

Fruits and vegetables

Beans

Foods that are high in a substance called purines can raise the uric acid in your blood, and that can trigger a gout attack. Some seafood — like sardines, anchovies, mussels, and salmon — is rich in purines, as are organ meats, like liver and kidneys.

It’s hard to avoid purines completely because they are in many foods. Instead, your health care provider may suggest you follow a low-purine diet. People with gout should try to avoid foods that trigger an attack.

True

False

Beer and liquor are high in purines, which can raise uric acid and trigger gout attacks. They also tend to cause dehydration — another common gout trigger. When you don’t drink enough fluids, uric acid builds up in your body, and you can be more prone to a flare. Some fructose-sweetened drinks also can trigger a flare. Water is your best bet for staying hydrated.

Shrimp

Bacon

Cheese

Eating a diet high in low-fat dairy foods — like cheese and milk — might lower uric acid levels in your blood and lower your chance of gout. One study found that people with gout who drank an enriched skim milk shake every day had fewer flares and less painful symptoms.

True

False

Your first gout attack usually will affect just one joint and should get better after a few days. But as gout attacks become more frequent, they can affect several joints at once and can last for several weeks if they aren’t treated.

Low blood pressure

Low cholesterol

Diabetes

Low body weight

You’re more likely to get gout if you are overweight, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or have diabetes. Gout often runs in families. Drinking lots of beer and liquor or taking certain medications also may make you more likely to develop gout.

True

False

Cutting out foods that might trigger a flare is a great step to help prevent gout. But if you’ve had several attacks in one year, your health care provider may recommend medication, such as febuxostat (Uloric), allopurinol (Aloprim, Zyloprim), colchicine (Colcrys), or probenecid (Benemid). The drugs actually may cause an attack when you first start taking them, so your doctor might give you other medicine in case that happens. Pegloticase (Krystexxa) given by IV can be used for people who can’t take or do not respond to other treatments.

Obesity raises your risk of having gout, so losing weight is another way to reduce the risk.

Liver

Lungs

Kidneys

All of the above

Besides causing gout, uric acid also can collect in the kidneys and cause kidney stones. About one in five people with gout will develop kidney stones. They can be very painful and, if left untreated, can lead to kidney infections or damage.

Your Score:

You correctly answered out of questions.

Great job! It hurts, but you know your gout!

Not bad. You know the basics about gout, but you could do better. Brush up on your gout smarts and give it another try.

You’re a little stiff. You need to brush up on your gout smarts. Read more on gout and try the quiz again.

Sources
|
Reviewed by Carol

DerSarkissian on October 15, 2018

Medically Reviewed on October 15, 2018

Reviewed by Carol

DerSarkissian on
October 15, 2018

IMAGE PROVIDED BY:

MAY / BSIP

REFERENCES:

American College of Rheumatology: “Gout,” “Health Professionals Follow-up Study on Gout: What Do We Now Tell Patients About Diet and Alcohol?” “Sip Water to Prevent Gout Attacks.”

Arthritis Foundation: “Causes of Gout.”

Arthritis Today, Arthritis Foundation: “Gout Raises Heart Attack Risk,” “Safe Foods for Gout.”

CDC: “Gout.”

Dalbeth, N.

2012.

FamilyDoctor: “Gout – Symptoms,” “Gout – Overview,” “Gout – Treatment,” “Gout: Causes and Risk Factors,” “Low-purine Diet.”

Gout & Uric Acid Education Society: “Gout and Kidney Disease,” “Gout Self-Care Strategies.”

Krishnan, E.

2006.

Medscape Reference: “Gout and Pseudogout,” “Gout and Pseudogout Clinical Presentation,” “Gout and Pseudogout Treatment & Management,” “Gout and Pseudogout Workup.”

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health: “What Is Gout?” “Questions and Answers About Gout.”

Palo Alto Medical Foundation: “Gout: Preventing Gout Attacks.”

Robert T. Keenan, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine.

The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide: “Dietary Factors Affecting Gout,” “Gout: Joint Pain and More.”

The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center: “Gout,” “Gout – Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis,” “Gout – Treatments for Gout.”

The Merck Manual: “Crystal-Induced Arthritides,” “Gout.”

This tool does not provide medical advice.
See additional information.

THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.

© 2018 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

{text}

{button}

© 2005 – 2018 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.

WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

See additional information.

Quiz: Test Your Gout Smarts

Research & References of Quiz: Test Your Gout Smarts|A&C Accounting And Tax Services
Source

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us