Described by men like Hippocrates and Aulus Cornelius Celsus since the time of Christ, gout was once called the "Disease of Kings" due to its relationship with rich foods and copious alcohol consumption. A more modern definition defines a gout as being the result of deposits of paper thin crystals of uric acid in the joint space between two bones or in connective tissue. These deposits lead to inflammatory arthritis, resulting in stiffness, swelling, redness, and pain. Gout, considered the most painful of rheumatic diseases, occurs when uric acid normally excreted in the urine forms on the joints due to ingestion of purine-rich foods (e.g. alcohol, fish).

Gout is due to a congenital disorder (meaning any medical disorder identifiable at birth), so you cannot rule out genetics playing a role in determining a persons risk to developing gout. Nearly twenty percent of gout patients have a family history of the disease. Being male is a double edged sword when determining the risk factor for a gout. Adult males, who on average are more overweight and drink more than their women counterparts, are more susceptible to gout. While both problems contribute greatly for the individual to develop hyperuricemia (the presence of high levels of uric acid in the blood), being overweight contributes to developing a gout because there is more tissue or fat to breakdown, resulting more uric acid production. People who drink in excess increase the risk of developing hyperuricemia because the alcohol interferes with the removal of uric acid.

The foods we eat everyday could potentially increase he risk of developing a gout. Foods that are high in purines like liver, spinach, seafood, and anything with a significant amount of yeast like beer or bread. Many people afflicted with a gout substitute high purine foods with other foods like berries and tofu to replace some of the essential nutrients and minerals offered by certain foods.

There are certain medications people take that puts them at risk for developing hyperuricemia (i.e. high levels of uric acid levels in the blood) and therefore at high risk for developing a gout. Medications such as:
- low-dose aspirin and salicylates
- niacin
- levodopa
- medications to treat tuberculosis
All of these types of medications can lead to developing a gout because they remove the body's ability to remove uric acid.

There are medical conditions as well as medications and food that is a risk factor for developing a gout. Medical conditions such as leukemia, and lymphoma, and various hemoglobin disorders. All of these illnesses affect the body's breakdown of purines and increases uric acid in the body.

The various factors that increase the risk of developing a gout may be overwhelming, luckily there are many ways to make the problem manageable. The drug Probenecid (among many others) and the correct diet can help individuals afflicted with such a disease. Only in extreme cases surgery was ever necessary. Luckily, gout only affect 275 per 100,000 people with a healthy optimistic rate. The position that patients afflicted with such a problem is confident considering the amount of research that has gone into the matter. If treated properly, the individual affected can once again live a normal, healthy life.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G out
http://arthritis.about.com/od/ gout/p/riskfactors.htm

Learn more about this author, Dustin S. Jussila.
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