- _____ All people who have high levels of uric acid have gout.
- _____ Pain in the joints caused by gout comes and goes.
- _____ The most important goal of medications that treat gout is to reduce swelling in the joints.
- _____ Drinking too much alcohol affects the body’s ability to get rid of uric acid.
- _____ Eating shellfish and liver can raise your uric acid levels.
Answers
- Answer: False. Gout is caused when the body’s immune system attacks uric acid crystals in the joints. In some people, extra uric acid does not form crystals in the joints.
- Answer: True. Attacks of inflammation in the joints due to gout usually last for a few days and improve on their own.
- Answer: False. The most important goal of gout medications is to control the severe pain of gout attacks. Treatment of gout also aims to prevent more attacks and prevent the formation of new tophi and kidney stones.
- Answer: True. It is hard for the body to get rid of uric acid if too much alcohol is consumed.
- Answer: True. Organ meats and shellfish are high in purines. Since the body produces uric acid out of purines, eating these meats can raise uric acid levels. Eating sardines, mushrooms, and dried beans can also raise uric acid levels.
— Patient Education Institute