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Relief for gout patients
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Salmon is high in purines, and experts suggest that gout patients
avoid consuming this type of fish. (Photo: Business Wire)
Although gout is one of the earliest recorded diseases, there are still very limited treatment options available. Prevention is often key to avoiding painful gout attacks. For over 40 years, allopurinol was one of the few daily medications available for chronic gout sufferers.
Now, gout patients have another option. Earlier this month, the FDA approved a new oral drug for gout, Uloric. This is a once-daily, oral medication that will be used in the prevention of gout attacks.
The FDA had refused to approve the drug in 2005 due to more heart problems and deaths of patients taking the drug in relation to those taking allopurinol. After this initial rejection, the pharmacutical company perfromed another clinical trial. This trial concluded that there were no more deaths or heart problems in patients versus those on allopurinol. As a result of this data, the FDA approved Uloric at 40-milligram and 80-milligram doses.
Uloric is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor that works to lower levels of uric acid in the body.
According to the Mayo Clinic, gout attacks occur when you have an excess amount of uric acid in your body. This abundance of uric acid can form crystals around your joints, causing excruciating pain and swelling.
Gout is considered a form of inflammatory arthritis. It commonly affects the joint in your big toe, your ankles, hands, wrists, and knees. Attacks can be very painful and may last up to 10 days with any treatment.
Uloric and allopurinol work to prevent attacks; they do not alleviate the symptoms of an attack. During a flare-up, doctors may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), colchicines, and steroid medications. All of these medications come with harmful side effects.
An estimated 3 million people suffer from gout. It can affect both men and women. Men tend to develop the disease earlier in life, between the ages of 40 and 50 years old, and women develop it after menopause.
To prevent a flare-up of gout, many sufferers avoid foods high in purines, including many types of red meats and seafood.
Famous gout sufferers include Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, Theodore Roosevelt, Martin Luther, and King Henry VIII of England.
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