Better Health & Beyond — Gout

Gout is a particularly painful form of crystalline or inflammatory arthritis in which high levels of serum urate cause swollen, stiff joints. Often related to genetics, gout is not the lifestyle consequence it’s been portrayed as. Forget the stereotype of carousing, overindulgent men such as King Henry VIII ending up stricken with gout. “That’s just victim-blaming, While it does affect men more than women, and can be exacerbated by obesity and diet, genetics are a more important factor,” says John Fitzgerald, MD, with the department of rheumatology at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, and coauthor on the American College of Rheumatology’s recent guidelines...