What are the symptoms of gout in the elderly?

summary

Gout is a group of heterogeneous diseases caused by genetic and / or acquired excessive uric acid production and / or reduced excretion. Its clinical features are: hyperuricemia and urate crystals, deposition caused by acute arthritis, gout stone, chronic gouty arthritis, gouty nephropathy. These manifestations can exist alone or in combination.

What are the symptoms of gout in the elderly?

The most easily affected part is the thumb and plantar joint, followed by ankle, heel, wrist, finger, elbow and other joints. It rarely occurs in the trunk joints such as hip, pelvis, shoulder, spine and so on.

Chronic gouty arthritis is often developed from acute arthritis, which is often seen in patients without treatment or without treatment. The symptoms were multiple joint involvement, frequent attacks, shortened intermission, increasing pain, and even incomplete pain relief after the attack. In severe cases, shoulder, hip, spine, sacroiliac, sternoclavicular, mandibular joints and costal cartilage can also be involved, showing shoulder and back pain, chest pain, intercostal neuralgia and sciatica.

Gout stone is the characteristic damage of gout. It is a kind of chronic foreign body like reaction caused by the fine needle like crystal deposition of monosodium urate. It is surrounded by monocytes, epithelial cells and giant cells, forming foreign body nodules, causing mild chronic inflammatory reaction. In addition to the central nervous system, gout stone can be involved in any part, most commonly in the joint and nearby and auricle.

matters needing attention

In general, the prevention of gout is divided into three levels. The first level prevention is to control hyperuricemia and avoid the onset of gout. The second level prevention is to detect and treat gout as early as possible; The third level prevention is to prevent acute attack, prevent the development of gout, make the condition stable for a long time, improve the quality of life.