Gout Acid
Gout Acid: How To Avoid 4 Ways To Pain
Gout acid is usually uric acid that has formed crystals in your joints.
But that’s not the full story – there are 4 ways that acid can cause gouty misery.
You need to know them all – and how to avoid the gout acid blues.
Surprisingly, uric acid by itself causes absolutely no pain. We often think of acid burns, and inflammation, e.g. when excess stomach acid causes heartburn. But uric acid is very weak. It causes no direct pain, but indirectly it can lead to the worst pain know to man. When you understand how it works, you are best placed to avoid all four types of gout acid pain.
- 1. Acute Gout Attack
- The classic gout pain caused by uric acid crystals in the joints. This is not physical pain. It is an inflammatory reaction to invading uric acid crystals, when the immune system tries to kill the invaders in the same way that it deals with viruses and other infections. This pain is not permanent, and will go away naturally after a few days, though most of us need pain relief as the pain is very intense.
- 2. Gout Acid Kidney Stones
- Uric acid is excreted by the kidneys, then substantially reabsorbed. High levels of uric acid can crystallize in the kidneys, causing painful kidney stones. In most cases, the stones are easily dissolved with sodium bicarbonate and plenty of fluids. Pain lasts until stones are passed or dissolved. Risk of permanent damage is low, but will increase if stones recur frequently.
