Beer + seafood = gout? Read this now, don’t regret it until you feel the pain!

During the Spring Festival, you eat delicious meat and fish, drink beer and drinks every meal, and completely let yourself go and eat as much as you can. Are you feeling "bloated" again?

Getting fat is not a big deal, but your health is more important. Recently, Mr. Li, 35, from Changsha, came to the Hunan Provincial Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment (affiliated to the University of South China Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment) for treatment. He recalled his history of indulgence during the Spring Festival and regretted it.

Liu Shuiping, director of the pain department and chief physician of Hunan Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute (affiliated to the University of South China Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute), reminded everyone: " Gout often becomes more common after holidays. Everyone must maintain good eating habits and avoid overeating. "

1. What exactly is gout?

The attack of "gout" is closely related to the " uric acid " in our blood.

Uric acid, in its first half of life, is called " purine " and is hidden in seafood, meat, vegetables, and fruits. After these foods are eaten by us, the rich purine will be oxidized and turned into uric acid.

When too much uric acid accumulates in the body, it will travel through the blood, reach the solubility saturation and turn into salt crystals, accumulating in the ankle and knee joints, causing redness, swelling, heat and pain in the joints .

As the disease progresses, tophi may form, and in severe cases, it may lead to bone destruction . In addition, high uric acid levels in the blood may also cause uric acid nephropathy , with symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, and hematuria.

2. What can we do to effectively avoid gout attacks?

1. Although delicious, don’t be greedy

Try to reduce the intake of high-purine foods, such as animal offal, seafood, etc., and give priority to vegetables rich in dietary fiber.

2. Drink more water and urinate more

Drinking more water can dilute the blood and promote the excretion of uric acid. Gout patients should drink boiled water, bicarbonate-containing soda water, and light tea, and avoid alcohol and sugary drinks. Generally, adults need to drink more than 2000 ml of water every day to produce enough urine to help excrete uric acid.

3. Go to bed early and get up early, and have appropriate entertainment

Maintain a regular work and rest habit, avoid staying up late, such as browsing your phone or playing mahjong. Reasonable arrangement of rest and entertainment time will help maintain the body's metabolic function.

4. Be graceful and warm

The weather is cold during the Spring Festival. While pursuing fashionable clothing, you should pay attention to keeping your joints warm to avoid local temperature drops that may lead to the deposition of urate crystals.

5. Go to the hospital regularly to check blood uric acid levels

For children who have been found to have high uric acid levels, they should monitor their uric acid levels regularly and adjust their work and rest schedules and diet in a timely manner. At present, the diagnostic criteria for hyperuricemia are >360μmol/L for women and >420μmol/L for men. Active intervention should be taken if the values ​​are higher than this. The blood uric acid level of gout patients should be controlled below 360μmol/L.

3. What methods are there to save lives during an acute attack of gout?

1. Ice to relieve pain

Ice compress can shrink blood vessels, reduce the stimulation and compression of nerve endings by metabolites, and paralyze pain nerves. Please note that the ice compress time should not be too long, about 20 minutes at a time.

2. Elevate the affected limb

When gout attacks, the affected limb will be accompanied by obvious edema. It is recommended to elevate the affected limb and place a pillow or other things under the affected limb when resting in bed. This can effectively promote blood circulation in the affected area.

3. Taking medication

Anti-inflammatory treatment should be carried out within 12 hours of gout attack to relieve pain and relieve joint inflammation. Commonly used drugs include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, colchicine and glucocorticoids.

4. Professional treatment

⏩Nerve block therapy: For those with severe pain or pain sensitivity, professional nerve block therapy can be used to relieve pain.

⏩Ozone autohemotherapy: It can relieve pain in gout patients, is well tolerated by patients, is safe, and has no serious adverse reactions. It can be used as a treatment option to relieve pain symptoms for gout patients with comorbidities and contraindications to drug treatment.

Pain cannot be eliminated by just enduring it. Don’t hesitate, don’t delay, detect it early and treat it early. The Pain Department will always be your strong support in fighting against pain.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Liao Jiaxin, Hunan Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute (Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute affiliated to University of South China)

Follow @湖南医聊 to get more health science information!

(Edited by YT)