More than 330,000 people in Korea suffer from gout, but there are still many people who have misconceptions about it. The internet is full of myths about gout treatments. Among the questions and answers posted at the café where gout patients gather, we have selected three representative ones.
Nowadays, medications for the treatment of gout have become very good. In terms of efficacy, it doesn't get any better. Allopurinol*, which was widely used in the past, has been a constant problem due to the relatively high frequency of adverse reactions to drugs. There have been cases of acute allergic reactions such as Steven Johnson syndrome**, resulting in 1~2 deaths out of 100,000 people. In comparison, Fabric tablets*** have considerably fewer side effects and are considered to be effective quickly.
And if you have gout, we recommend that you treat it right away. Especially if you are young (40 years old or younger), it is recommended that you start treatment with uric acid-lowering drugs as soon as possible. Just as diabetes doesn't get better later in life, gout is worse the older you get.
Patients say, "I had gout when I was young, but what if I take medicine already, how can I take medicine for the rest of my life, and then I will take it when I can't make up my mind." It is said. But it's a difficult response from a doctor's point of view. Gout is bound to be accompanied by complications after 10~15 years. This means that if you develop gout in your 20s and leave it untreated, you will suffer from complications from a relatively young age, in your 50s. To prevent this, treatment should be started as soon as possible.
Gout is no longer just a disease for men over 50. This is because the number of young patients is increasing rapidly. According to a 2014 analysis by the National Health Insurance Corporation, the number of gout patients in men under the age of 30 was 56,344, accounting for 19% of the total number of gout patients. In particular, the number of gout patients in men in their 30s was 22 times higher than that of female gout patients in the same age group.
The main causes of gout are excessive alcohol consumption, overnutrition, and lack of exercise. In other words, it is a disease that can be controlled to some extent if it is well managed on a regular basis. Diet is also said to reduce uric acid levels by as much as 1 mg/dL.
Lastly, please keep in mind the following lifestyle habits recommended so that you can get rid of the fear of gout.
1. Alcohol is not good for any kind. You should avoid consuming alcohol more than 3 times a week, 2 drinks for men and 1 drink for women.
2. Don't eat foods with corn fructose added to it. Artificial fructose is not particularly good for gout. Natural fructose in fruits and vegetables is fine.
3. Don't overeat red meat. It's true that red meat is not good for gout. But you can't eat it at all. If you take uric acid-lowering medications regularly, there is no problem as long as you control them to the point where you do not overeat.
4. Drink an Americano. Studies have shown that drinking more than four cups of coffee a day reduces the incidence of gout by 40%. The cause is not yet clear, and it does not appear to be caused by caffeine, as decaf seems to have the same effect. You should also keep in mind that when drinking coffee, it is not good to drink it with syrup.
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