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Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Gout Prevention

If you are at risk for gout, you should do the following:

• Eat a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet. People with gout have a higher risk for heart disease. This diet would not only lower your risk for gout but also your risk for heart disease. Control your cholesterol.



• Avoid foods that are high in purines (the biochemical in foods that is metabolized into uric acid), including shellfish and red meats.



• Slowly lose weight. This can lower your uric acid levels. Losing weight too rapidly can occasionally precipitate gout attacks.
  
  
• Restrict your intake of alcohol, especially beer.
  
  
• Stay hydrated.
  
  
• Increase your intake of dairy products, such as nonfat milk and yogurt, because they can lower the frequency of gout attacks.



• Avoid fructose, such as in corn syrup.



• Talk to your doctor if you are taking thiazide diuretics (hydrochlorothiazide, HCTZ), low-dose aspirin, levodopa (Larodopa), cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), or nicotinic acid.

If you have had an attack of gouty arthritis, you should do all of the above and follow the regimen prescribed by your physician. The adequate prevention of gouty arthritis may involve lifelong medical therapy.