Gout Guides

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More than 9 million Americans live with gout, a common form of inflammatory arthritis. This painful condition can affect every part of patients’ lives. In addition to oral medication options, a biological medical product, or biologic, may offer relief. Biologics are complex drugs used to treat a wide range of conditions, including gout.

Your Gout Questions Answered: How Gout Affects the Whole Body

“Without proper treatment, the condition will only get worse. Gout can not only cause deterioration in your joints but also affect major organs like the heart, liver, eyes and kidneys.”

Patient to Patient with Chris Adams

“It’s important to know your body and be aware of other diseases and symptoms to watch for. You want to build trust with your provider and talk with them about your symptoms so you know your risks and can stay ahead of other co-occurring conditions. And, I’d encourage other patients to take gout seriously.”

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The Journey Toward Disease Management: A National Survey of Gout Patients

Visiting a rheumatologist is often life changing for people living with gout, the inflammatory arthritis that prompts intense, painful attacks and swollen joints.

But for the more than 9 million Americans living with gout, that visit is hardly the beginning of their journey with the disease.

Resources for Gout Patients

The Alliance for Gout Awareness works to reduce stigma and empower patients by improving public understanding of gout.

Inside this packet you’ll find resources from our member organizations on living with and managing gout. We hope you’ll find these materials helpful in your journey with gout.

Your Gout Questions Answered: Treating Gout - A Podiatrist's Perspective

“It is not uncommon for gout to be misdiagnosed, which causes patients to live in pain for years before receiving a proper diagnosis. I would even encourage patients to advocate for a uric acid test if they believe they may have gout.”

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Fast Facts: Gout

Gout is a form of arthritis that leads to sudden, intense pain and swollen joints that may become red and hot. More than 50 percent of gout attacks start in the big toe, but gout can occur in any joint. Knees, ankles, feet and fingers are other common sites. Gout attacks often occur, without warning, in the middle of the night.

This Q&A document aims to inform and empower patients with basic information about gout.

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In Their Own Voices: Lived Experiences of Gout Patients

Gout is a form of arthritis that leads to sudden, intense pain and swollen joints that may become red and hot. Though the experience of gout can be isolating, the disease is quite common. Gout affects more than 9 million Americans.

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Your Gout Questions Answered: Gout & Hispanic Communities

“Two major commonalities among my Hispanic gout patients concern me: noncompliance with office visits and nonadherence to medication.”

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Patient to Patient with Marty Dickinson

“Don’t let it go as far as I did. Don’t let it go so far as to ruin your career or hurt your relationships. Get your gout under control early.”

Patient to Patient with Dave Arntsen

“Because my father had gout, I always had someone who understood what I was going through. I was lucky in that respect. I think support and encouragement are important for someone who’s learning to live with gout.”

Your Gout Questions Answered: Gout & Pacific Islanders

“I suspect gout is more common among Pacific Islanders than we know, due to genetic and environmental factors. I practiced in San Francisco a few years before returning to Hawaii in 2018. In Hawaii, among Pacific Islanders, I’ve observed a higher prevalence of gout as well as more severe disease.”

Disparities in Gout Risk & Treatment

More than 9 million Americans live with gout, an arthritic condition caused by the buildup of uric acid in the body. Genetics are a factor in developing gout, but so too are lifestyle and diet. Whatever the root cause, gout can lead to intense joint pain and swelling, making daily tasks more diffcult.

Your Gout Questions Answered: Gout & Infused Treatment

“Patients who have persistent uric acid deposits, called tophi, and experience uncontrolled flares even after they’ve made lifestyle and medication adjustments will usually respond well to infused medication.”

Learn more from Terri Puhalsky, RN, in this one-pager.

Patient to Patient with Gerald Hayashi

“Don’t feel overwhelmed. Life is just a series of adjustments, really. So I look at gout management as something that just has to be done.”

Patient to Patient with Lori Pasztor

“I wish I’d known about the correlation between gout and kidney disease. If I knew the conditions were related earlier, I probably would have been more proactive about getting diagnostic tests that could have shown I had gout.”

Your Questions Answered: Gout & Kidney Disease

“Having impaired kidney function – kidney disease increases one’s risk for developing gout. And having gout can exacerbate one’s kidney disease.”

Learn more from Payam Shakouri, MD, in this one-pager.

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Your Gout Questions Answered: Gout & Heart Disease

“The problem is that most people with gout don’t realize they are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. We need to be aggressive about educating patients so they can take the right steps to lower their risk.”

Learn more from Neha J. Pagidipati, MD, MPH, in this one-pager.

Patient to Patient with Michael Bush

“Get yourself a good gout specialist who will support you. I’m thankful for my rheumatologist, who appealed to my insurance company until they agreed to cover the infused treatment I needed.”

Patient to Patient with Jen Gentry

“There’s no reward for suffering! There are so many medication options – and there will be one that works for you.”

Patient to Patient with Gary Ho

“You’re not alone. Gout can be a very lonely disease. Nobody wants to talk about it. I say, embrace the fact that you have gout. This is an opportunity to take back control. Embrace the fact that there are proven methods to successfully treat the disease. People think they’ll forever be stuck with pain, or that they won’t ever again be able to enjoy food. That’s not true.”

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Your Gout Questions Answered: Gout & Medication

“Treatment during a gout flare is focused on reducing symptoms like pain and inflammation. However, treating only the flare ignores the underlying cause. Gout attacks stem from persistently high uric acid levels. Gout arthritis can be effectively managed with medication that maintains a “normal” uric acid level.”

Learn more from David Mandel, MD, in this one-pager.

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Your Gout Questions Answered: Gout & Diet

Diet alone does not “cause” gout. Diet is just one of many contributing factors. Other factors include obesity, family history, age and gender. Untreated high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart and kidney diseases also increase the risk of gout.

Learn more from Christopher Parker, DO, in this one pager.

A Gout Patient’s Guide to Infusion

If you have gout, addressing your disease requires lowering your levels of uric acid. You can accomplish this through treatment, in conjunction with lifestyle changes.

Infusion of uric-acid-lowering medication is one of several treatment options your health care provider may prescribe.

6 Ways to Take Control of Your Gout

Gout is a serious, painful disease caused by a build-up of uric acid, a waste product our bodies naturally produce. Once you have gout, there’s no getting rid of it. But there’s good news: you can take control of your gout.

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National Survey of Patients' Attitudes Toward Gout

Shame, confusion and lack of awareness may keep people with gout from receiving the treatment they need, a national poll of 169 gout patients suggests. The disease, a form of arthritis, afflicts more than 9 million Americans with painful attacks that come on suddenly.

GOUT GUIDES

Alliance for Gout Awareness