Arthritis Center

Gout is one expression of the metabolic syndrome  X, associated with   Diabetes 2.  Gout is also associated with high blood pressure and heart disease. All these conditions tend to co-exist or cause each other in a meshy sequence of interactions. Increasing blood glucose is associated with decreased kidney function, increased blood pressure and increased uric acid levels.

Syndrome X is a lifestyle disease that afflicts more and more overweight people who eat the wrong foods, exercise little and hope for the best despite overwhelming evidence that they are heading for disaster.

Often the gout aspect of syndrome X is ignored, misinterpreted or poorly managed so that high uric acid levels contribute to progressive dysfunction and kidney disease.

The severe pain of an acute gout attack is unmistakable, but less severe, more chronic pain can occur with high uric acid levels.  Complete adequate diet revision is often essential in patients with gout, not just to manage the gout, but also to control the associated disorders which all emerge from the wrong diet.