Himchan Hospital "The cause of changes in eating habits, a 167% increase in gout in men in their 20s in 10 years"
Aug 29, 2024
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According to statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of gout patients is steadily increasing every year. The number of patients increased by about 73% from 308,728 in 2014 to 535,100 in 2023. Most of the patients were men, accounting for about 93% (496,290) as of 2023. In particular, for male patients in their 20s and 40s, the average increase rate is significantly higher, with an increase of about 167% in their 20s, 109% in their 30s, and 83% in their 40s compared to 10 years ago, accounting for about 48% of all gout patients in 2023.
Kim Yoo-geun, head of the orthopedic clinic at Bupyeong Himchan Hospital, said, `Gout is a disease in which uric acid crystals are deposited in cartilage, tendons, and surrounding tissues of joints as uric acid concentration increases in the blood, causing extreme pain"The intensity of the pain is so strong that it is expressed as a gout attack, but there are many cases where you feel pain at night or at dawn, so you often visit the emergency room in a hurry."
◇Causes of increased gout among young people, changes in drinking and eating habits
Venture is caused by the fact that after the component purine is used in the body, a residue substance called uric acid remains, which must be discharged through urine, but cannot be discharged. As the uric acid concentration in the blood increases, uric acid crystals accumulate in surrounding tissues such as articular cartilage and tendons, causing an inflammatory reaction. Pain is so severe that it is often called gout because it hurts just by the wind, and as the gout nodules are deposited, the joints can become inflamed, and in severe cases, it can even cause leprosy.
Usually, if the uric acid concentration is more than 6mg/dL, it is considered hyperuricemia, which can cause gout, but the more food with more purine is eaten, the higher the uric acid concentration. Purine is mainly contained in processed foods, fruit juice, and meat, including carbonated drinks containing liquid fructose, especially lean meat, blue-backed fish, and beer. Purine changes to uric acid during decomposition and an appropriate amount of uric acid is excreted in the urine, but hyperuricemia is difficult to recognize because there are no other symptoms due to excessive uric acid levels in the blood.
The significant increase in gout among relatively young people in their 20s and 40s is mainly due to changes in eating habits. Eating foods high in purine, such as frequent drinking, delivery food, fast food, and processed food, increases, and lifestyle habits that lack physical activity, such as spending a long day sitting down, slow down metabolism and cause obesity. Obesity can cause gout by lowering the release of elevated uric acid levels in the blood, which can further increase concentration levels. For patients with decreased renal function or metabolic syndrome such as obesity and hyperlipidemia, the risk of gout is two to four times higher. In addition, carnivorous diets, such as protein supplements and chicken breasts taken during exercise, can also increase uric acid levels, causing gout in young people. Continuing your diet only with protein for diet, body profile, etc., uric acid levels rise, and gout attacks may occur due to excessive exercise.
◇Repeated and symptom worsening…joint deformation when chronic
Ventilation begins with asymptomatic hyperuricemia without symptoms, starts with acute gouty arthritis, enters intermittent gout that calms down when treated, and develops into chronic nodular gout where uric acid builds up throughout the body if not managed. There are no symptoms in the early stages, then a second seizure occurs between 6 months and 2 years after the first gout attack, followed by repeated recurrence, and symptoms worsen.
Asymptomatic hyperuricemia has no symptoms, but it is often found after accidental blood tests with high levels of uric acid in the blood. In the case of acute gouty arthritis with gout attacks, you should use drugs to reduce pain, relieve inflammation, and receive medication that fundamentally lowers uric acid levels. The area where symptoms occur most often is the big toe, and in the beginning, you feel feverish and pain such as stabbing with a needle. Usually, the pain gets worse at night and disappears within a few hours, but it can last for several weeks. The area of inflammation becomes severely swollen and red, and extreme pain can occur over time, and when it becomes chronic, deformation of the joints and gout nodules can be formed.
◇ Drug treatment and lifestyle management are also important when symptoms are expressed
For the prevention and treatment of gout, it is very important to improve lifestyle habits. It is recommended to eat as little food as possible that contains a lot of purine and increase the intake of foods that are low in purine or help release uric acid, such as grains, seaweed, low-fat milk, Americano, apples, and bananas. Drinking 2 liters of water a day to help release uric acid is also helpful, and taking 500mg of vitamin C per day is also good for lowering uric acid. Gout is a disease that requires controlling uric acid levels for life, so even if uric acid levels return to normal, it is important to control your diet and receive treatment. It is also important to prepare emergency medicines for seizures.
`With the aim of maintaining a constant concentration of uric acid in the blood, long-term prevention and treatment are needed to control blood uric acid below normal by increasing water intake,' said Kim Yoo-geun, head of the orthopedic surgery hospital at Bupyeong Himchan Hospital."The next most important thing is to take medicine steadily, and it is also important to watch out for foods high in purine that make uric acid by controlling food and to abstain from drinking alcohol.'
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