Gout

[Guest guest]

Just reading a few things where gout is mentioned.

That is another rotten, stinking painful disease. My husband has

it. Also, you can have it and uric acid levels are perfectly

normal. He does and the doc told him that can happen. It is

miserable. So just because uric acid level is normal, does not mean

it is not gout. Just like pancreatitis huh?

Hope that is helpful

Kaye

[Guest guest]

Ah, But unlike pancreatitis there is one laboratory test that can

absolutely, no doubt about it, diagnose gout if it is performed at

the right hospital by the right person. The only 100% accurate

diagnosis of gout is by looking at a specimen taken from the

suspect joint and seeing monosodium urate crystals. While not

seeing crystals cannot rule out gout, seeing crystals is an

absolute diagnosis. Most hospitals / clinics do not have the

capability or the expertise to do this, but there are several places

in the US where this is done accurately and reliably. And, more

important, when crystal proven gout is confirmed, there is

treatment that can keep the disorder at a minimal discomfort

level and can delay or prevent additional attacks and systemic

destruction. Gout is well studied, has a known cause and effect

pattern, can be controlled by medication and life style changes

and is usually recognized and treated accordingly by

rheumatologists - as opposed to the whole saga behind the

adventures of pancreatitis.

As for the uric acid level, it is fairly well known among specialists

that there is not an absolute corelation between uric acid levels

and monosodium urate formation (gout crystals). You can have

high uric acid in the blood but no urate crystals or you can have

urate cyrstals in the joints and normal uric acid levels in the

blood. This is another common mispreception that ER docs and

PCPs use when evaluating patients - which is similar to

pancreatiits and the amylase / lipase correlations (or lack of).

I empathize with any sufferer of gout (as well as pseudogout) as

this is an extremely painful disease when it flares and can have

very serious lifestyle implications.

[Guest guest]

Yes maam you said a mouthful! It is a horribly painful disease. My

husband finally has his under control with medication and diet. But

he has been through the ringer so to speak. Never had an elevated

uric acid level and never showed crystals on aspiration from the

knee joint 5 different times done by a rheumatologist. I have seen

him suffer horribly and I know he hurt every bit as bad as I do when

my pancreas starts. Another understudied disease to be sure.

Kaye

-- In pancreatitis , " goutbuster " <goutbuster@y...>

wrote:

> Ah, But unlike pancreatitis there is one laboratory test that can

> absolutely, no doubt about it, diagnose gout if it is performed at

> the right hospital by the right person. The only 100% accurate

> diagnosis of gout is by looking at a specimen taken from the

> suspect joint and seeing monosodium urate crystals. While not

> seeing crystals cannot rule out gout, seeing crystals is an

> absolute diagnosis. Most hospitals / clinics do not have the

> capability or the expertise to do this, but there are several

places

> in the US where this is done accurately and reliably. And, more

> important, when crystal proven gout is confirmed, there is

> treatment that can keep the disorder at a minimal discomfort

> level and can delay or prevent additional attacks and systemic

> destruction. Gout is well studied, has a known cause and effect

> pattern, can be controlled by medication and life style changes

> and is usually recognized and treated accordingly by

> rheumatologists - as opposed to the whole saga behind the

> adventures of pancreatitis.

>

> As for the uric acid level, it is fairly well known among

specialists

> that there is not an absolute corelation between uric acid levels

> and monosodium urate formation (gout crystals). You can have

> high uric acid in the blood but no urate crystals or you can have

> urate cyrstals in the joints and normal uric acid levels in the

> blood. This is another common mispreception that ER docs and

> PCPs use when evaluating patients - which is similar to

> pancreatiits and the amylase / lipase correlations (or lack of).

>

> I empathize with any sufferer of gout (as well as pseudogout) as

> this is an extremely painful disease when it flares and can have

> very serious lifestyle implications.