Gout (cont.)
Surgery
If gout symptoms have occurred off and on without treatment for more than 10 years, uric acid crystals may have built up in the joints to form gritty, chalky nodules called tophi. If tophi are causing infection, pain, pressure, and deformed joints, your doctor may be able to treat them with medicine. If this doesn't work, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove them.
Other Treatment
Complementary therapies may be used by some people to relieve symptoms caused by gout.2
- Cherries and an herb called devil's claw have been used as anti-inflammatories. Research is needed to evaluate the usefulness of these and other complementary medicines to treat gout.
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is known to reduce chronic inflammation. It has not yet been studied to see whether it can help reduce inflammation from gout.
- Although it's still just a theory, some studies indicate that folic acid may be helpful in inhibiting the enzyme needed to produce uric acid.
Be sure to talk with your doctor if you are considering taking vitamins, minerals, or other remedies to help reduce future gout attacks.
Other Places To Get Help
Organizations
| American College of Rheumatology |
| 2200 Lake Boulevard NE |
| Atlanta, GA 30319 |
| Phone: | (404) 633-3777 |
| Fax: | (404) 633-1870 |
| Web Address: | www.rheumatology.org |
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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP, a division of ACR) are professional organizations of rheumatologists and associated health professionals who are dedicated to healing, preventing disability from, and curing the many types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members of the ACR are physicians; members of the ARHP include research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. Both the ACR and the ARHP provide professional education for their members. The ACR website offers patient information fact sheets about rheumatic diseases, about medicines used to treat rheumatic diseases, and about care professionals. |
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| Arthritis Foundation |
| P.O. Box 7669 |
| Atlanta, GA 30357 |
| Phone: | 1-800-283-7800 |
| Web Address: | www.arthritis.org |
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The Arthritis Foundation provides grants to help find a cure, prevention methods, and better treatment options for arthritis. It also provides a large number of community-based services nationwide to make living with arthritis easier, including self-help courses; water- and land-based exercise classes; support groups; home study groups; instructional videotapes; public forums; free educational brochures and booklets; the national, bimonthly consumer magazine Arthritis Today; and continuing education courses and publications for health professionals. |
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| National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institutes of Health |
| 1 AMS Circle |
| Bethesda, MD 20892-3675 |
| Phone: | 1-877-22-NIAMS (1-877-226-4267) toll-free |
| Phone: | (301) 495-4484 |
| Fax: | (301) 718-6366 |
| TDD: | (301) 565-2966 |
| Email: | niamsinfo@mail.nih.gov |
| Web Address: | www.niams.nih.gov |
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The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is a governmental institute that serves the public and health professionals by providing information, locating other information sources, and participating in a national federal database of health information. NIAMS supports research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases and supports the training of scientists to carry out this research. The NIAMS website provides health information referrals to the NIAMS Clearinghouse, which has information packages about diseases. |
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