Is your finger on a gout trigger ?

Gout triggers are the immediate conditions that cause gout flare ups but every gout flare up isn't necessarily caused by these triggers. And you may have your own triggers.

Hyperuricemia can remain in the body for 20-30 years before the first gout attack. This is unusual and remains as mysterious as an unexamined planet, but certain immediate causes are known.

If you have gout, make sure you understand all these triggering conditions, to help avoid another attack. If you don't have gout be aware of these gout triggers because you may have excessive uric acid in your body.

Alcohol and high purine foods binges. The best known immediate cause of gout, but possibly not the most important, is over consumption of alcohol and high purine foods. Alcohol especially is a major immediate cause of gout for three reasons. It is a major source of purines; it stimulates the liver to breakdown purines and so produce more uric acid; and it undermines the kidney’s ability to remove uric acid. Purines are the precursors (building blocks) of uric acid. (See the purines section for more about purines and uric acid. Such binges can cause rapid change of blood uric acid levels and be a gout trigger.

Cold weather is another.You can’t avoid winter unless you are able to move to a warmer climate, but you can be extra gout aware during this time. Wear warm clothes including gloves and woolen(or extra ) socks. Coincidently, the toes and fingers where gout is most likely to start, are the coldest part of the body, the furthest from the heart. Avoid being outside during cold weather as much as possible.Hot and humid weather can also cause gout flare ups.

Stress An overstressed lifestyle.

Medications Some drugs can cause hyperuricemia which as you now know may lead to gout. Leading ones that can do this are diuretics and immune system suppressors.

Illness or maladies such as kidney disease, (less uric acid is excreted), heart disease, high blood pressure, high serum levels of cholesterol, insulin resistance and diabetes.

Surgery , including organ transplants.

Joint injuries from another cause.

Fast Weight loss on a crash diet increases uric acid levels and therefore can be a gout trigger.

Too much exercise.

Infections.

Niacin, (aka Nicotinic acid), vitamin B3, but only in large doses. The amount of Niacin in multivitamin formulas, usually about 20mg, is highy unlikely to be a gout trigger.

Environmental factors such as exposure to lead and possibly to molybdenum.

Obesity The larger your body, the more uric acid it has to excrete. And obesity is a major cause of the illnesses and maladies (listed above),and these can trigger gout.

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