When you’re struggling with health problems, your symptoms might sometimes appear vague to you. If you have a pain in your back, you might think that you’re struggling with a backache when in reality, there might be another health issue that is occurring in your body. This is common with osteoarthritis and gout as one of these issues might be mistaken for the other due to how similar the symptoms of the two feel. Additionally, it might also be possible for both conditions to occur simultaneously. As always, we would always suggest that you go and check out any health-related problems with a trusted medical professional. However, in a preliminary stage, this is how you can distinguish and differentiate between osteoarthritis vs gout.
What is Gout?
Gout is a metabolic disease that occurs when the metabolism of uric acid and salts are affected, or specifically, disordered. Uric acid is mostly made within an individual’s body while a small fraction of it can still come from food sources. Gout mainly occurs in four stages, whereby in the first stage you might have elevated levels of uric acid but not display any other symptoms. However, in the final stage of gout, the patient might have incurred permanent damage to certain joints and kidneys.
What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease where multiple joints can be degraded due to a breakdown of the cartilage. Since entire joints can be damaged, it might be quite dangerous for your bone health.
What Causes Gout?
There is a greater likelihood that you might develop gout if you have high uric acid levels in your body. The factors that increase this include:
- Diet
- Weight
- Medical conditions
- Family history of gout
- Age
- Sex
If you are worried about gout, there are several factors that you cannot control such as your family history. However, you can try to control your diet and reduce your intake of uric acid by avoiding foods such as red meat, shellfish and alcohol.
What Causes Osteoarthritis?
The risk factors of osteoarthritis would be the following:
- Older age
- Sex
- Weight
- Pre-existing joint injuries
- Genetics
- Bone deformities
Symptoms of Gout
- Severe joint pain, especially in the large toe
- Lingering discomfort
- Inflammation and redness
- Limited range of moment
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Tenderness
- Loss of flexibility
- Swelling
How to Treat Gout?
There are gout medications available that mainly work in two ways. The first would be to reduce inflammation and pain caused by gout. The second type would be a medication that lowers the amount of uric acid in your blood.
How to Treat Osteoarthritis?
Aside from medication, if you’re diagnosed with osteoarthritis, you might be recommended to go through weight loss and physical therapy to reduce the load on your joints. Surgery may be considered as a final option if all other methods don’t work out.
If you are struggling with your health and are looking for a retirement community with an experienced team and amazing amenities, contact us today to find out more and work out a plan that suits your needs.
