When you have gout, even the slightest movement is agonising. Your swollen toe can be so tender that even putting on socks becomes unbearable. That is how serious and excruciating a gout attack can be.
Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis caused by the accumulation of high uric acid levels. As uric acid builds up, it crystallises at the joints and tissues, causing gout pain, which is characterised by sudden and severe pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling. Uric acid is a waste product caused by excessive consumption of foods high in purine – a substance found in red meat, shellfish and alcohol.
Hence, gout was once known as a “rich man’s disease” because it was attributed to a “rich” diet – an overindulgence in food and alcohol only the rich could afford. In reality, gout affects anyone from all walks of life.
Gout affects men and women at different life stages
1 in 4 gout sufferers were not diagnosed until they had four or more attacks, as revealed in a survey presented at the 2019 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.
Gout is more common in men than in women, because oestrogen, a female hormone, naturally causes uric acid to be flushed out in their urine. However, when women lose oestrogen after menopause, their uric acid levels start to rise – thus, making them susceptible to gout too.
It’s a gout attack
A gout attack can be felt as intense pain, swelling and/or stiffness in the joints, particularly the big toe. The pain can also affect the fingers, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. Other symptoms include inflammation and redness, oversensitivity and tenderness.
A sudden and intense attack or “flare-up” is most severe within the first 4-12 hours after onset. Gout attacks can happen anytime, but they often strike without warning in the middle of the night. Left untreated, painful attacks can recur or worsen, and cause joint damage, leading to immobility.
When gout attacks, sufferers will be forced to take unnecessary medical leave and be immobilised at home – making simple tasks like bathing and toilet trips awkward when they are unable to move freely by themselves.
New hope for gout sufferers
Lifestyle and dietary changes are important for gout sufferers. Manage gout by drinking more water, reducing purine-rich foods and maintaining a healthy body weight. Seek professional advice for diagnosis and persistent symptoms.
There is good news though. Gout sufferers can now say goodbye to agonising gout attacks by taking the oral solution, Clearogout, to reduce uric acid levels and prevent gout pain.
Stop the pain
Clearogout is a uric acid neutraliser which breaks up uric acid crystals accumulation in the joints. This reduces and prevents build-up of uric acid crystals, thus relieving painful symptoms of gout.
Conveniently packed in sachets, Clearogout can be consumed anywhere. Unlike other brands, it is suitable and safe to consume since it does not contain any sugar or artificial sweeteners (i.e. saccharin, aspartame, etc).
Those who will benefit from Clearogout are gout sufferers, people with high uric acid levels and those who consume high-purine foods regularly.
Clearogout is available at all leading pharmacies nationwide. For more information, please call Live-well INFOline at 03-6142 6570 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm) or email us at www.livewell2u.com. MAL20172747XC KKLIU 0065/2020.
*Reference: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019), Madrid, Spain, 12-15 June 2019. Gout Patients Suffer in Silence with Low Expectations of Treatment.