How to Prevent Gout Attacks
If you have a tendency toward attacks of gout, there are a few things that you can do to help ward off these attacks. Taking any medications?prescribed by your doctor is the first step. The following measures can also help, whether used in conjunction with prescribed medication or, if no medication has been prescribed, on their own.
Maintain desirable weight. Since obesity is a contributing factor, Denise Kraft, MD.?and Peter A. Simkin, M.D.,?recommend getting down to a healthy weight. “This should not be done with a crash diet that promotes rapid weight loss,” warns Simkin. “Dietary reduction should be achieved with a balanced- calorie diet and should promote gradual weight loss,” he continues. Kraft specifically recommends a moderate-protein, low fat diet. Talk to your doctor or to a nutritionist if you need help in?setting up such a diet plan.
Avoid alcohol. “Beer, wine, and ale are especially bad, as they can precipitate attacks of gout,” says Kraft. “Alcohol is a problem because it causes urate retention,” adds Simkin.
Avoid nonprescription water pills and other diuretics. “These things tend to keep you from properly excreting uric acid, which enables it to?build up in your system and cause gout attacks,” says Don Stewart, M.D. If you have been?prescribed a diuretic for another condition, such as high blood pressure, be sure the doctor knows that you have a tendency toward attacks of gout.
Drink eight six-ounce glasses of fluid a day. “In addition to causing gout, high serum urate levels can also cause kidney stones. Keeping your fluid intake up tends to reduce the amount of?crystallization and lessen your chance of developing stones,” says Kraft.
Wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes. “In addition to relieving some of the pain of an attack of gout, wearing comfortable shoes can also help to prevent these attacks,” says Simkin.
Check out your diet . . . maybe. One treatment for?gout that was recommended in the past was to stay on a low-purine diet. “On theoretical grounds, avoiding the high-purine foods makes all the sense in the world The problem is, going from a regular diet to a diet free of purines in general makes only a modest change in the serum urate levels of patients,” says Simkin. “Purine is largely found in the organ meats,” adds Stewart. Anchovies, sardines, legumes, and poultry are also high in purines. If you are willing to try a low-purine diet, go ahead It won’t hurt you. But don’t expect it to help much either.