There are several causes of gout, all of which involve a high level of uric acid.
Although high levels of uric acid won’t necessarily lead to gout attacks in every case, it is the common factor in those that do experience gout.
High uric acid levels can result from:
- Diet. Red meat, fish, alcohol and food with fruit sugar (fructose) and, more significantly, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) tends to lead to high uric acid levels, and increasing likelihood of causing gout. For reason which aren’t absolutely clear beer is more commonly noted as being one of the causes of gout than other alcoholic beverages.
- Excess body weight. Carrying excess body weight can be one of the causes of gout, particularly if combined with a sedentary lifestyle. Excess body weight combined with lack of exertion of muscles can elevate uric acid levels, making it difficult for the kidneys to eliminating uric acid.
- Other Medical conditions. High blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions and kidney diseases all are associated with high incidences of gout. There are common linkages between the main causes of gout, with high blood pressure in particular often present with excess body weight when gout is diagnosed. It is unclear if these two factors independently raise uric acid levels when they are both present or if one reinforces the effect on uric acid and gout of the other.
- Certain medications. The side-effects of certain medications have been documented as causes of gout. For instance, some diuretics used to treat high blood pressure can raise uric acid levels. Other medications that can affect uric acid levels include low-dose aspirin and any drugs that lower the immune system such as anti-rejection drugs taken after an organ transplant.
- Genetics are a possible cause of gout. You’re more likely to develop gout if your parents or other close relatives have been affected by gout. However, the jury is out on whether genetics itself is entirely one of the causes of gout or it is is due to lifestyle as families tend to follow the same culture and similar diets and lifestyle patterns.
- Age and sex. Gout is more common in males than females but this appears to be an age related phenomenon. Men tend to develop gout earlier – from the ages of 30 to 50 years – when males on average have higher levels of uric acid than females. However, after menopause, women’s uric acid levels rise to around the average of makes, which is when most of the women with gout first developed gout symptoms.
- Recent injury or surgery. Injuries to a joint and/or the effects of surgery have been linked to an increased risk of developing gout symptoms. The effects are usually only apparent only over time, particularly with sports injuries being diagnosed as causes of gout many years after the injury. There is likely to be a link to age in this process, particularly in males, where multiple injuries over time and general wearing out of joints can also be possible causes of gout.
As well as the causes of gout that have been documented through pattern research there are also many cases of high uric acid that lead to gout which don’t fit the common patterns and origins. The link between uric acid and gout is clear in all cases, however, the trigger for the increase in uric acid levels may not be obvious in many causes of gout.