gout
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GC: n

S: http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/gout.html (last access: 11 June 2015); DORLAND p. 799.

N: 1. Middle English goute, from Anglo-French gute drop, gout, from Latin gutta drop
First Known Use: 13th century.
2. A metabolic disease marked by a painful inflammation of the joints, deposits of urates in and around the joints, and usually an excessive amount of uric acid in the blood.
3. Gout is an ancient and common form of inflammatory arthritis, and is the most common inflammatory arthritis among men. Gout may remit for long periods, followed by flares for days to weeks, or can become chronic.
Gout is caused by an uncontrolled metabolic disorder, hyperuricemia, which leads to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in tissue. Hyperuricemia means too much uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a metabolic product resulting from the metabolism of purines (found in many foods and in human tissue).1,2
Hyperuricemia is caused by an imbalance in the production and excretion of urate, i.e., overproduction, underexcretion or both.
Hyperuricemia is not the same as gout. Asymptomatic hyperuricemia does not need to be treated.
Risk factors for gout include being overweight or obese, having hypertension, alcohol intake (beer and spirits more than wine), diuretic use, a diet rich in meat and seafood, and poor kidney function.3-6
Weight loss lowers the risk for gout.4,5.
4. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention, above many others, James Gillray’s 1799 cartoon ‘The Gout’.

S: 1 & 2. MW – http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gout (last access: 11 June 2015). 3. http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/gout.html (last access: 11 June 2015). 4. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/9579075/Whats-so-funny-about-having-gout.html (last access: 11 June 2015).

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CR: hyperuricemia