Gout and Corticosteroids Assignment

Running head: GOUT 1
Student name
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Title: Gout and Corticosteroids

GOUT 2
Abstract
Gout is a form of arthritis that mostly affects men. Gout leads to sudden and severe pain
at the joints. The pain starts at the tore and spreads to other joints infecting areas around the
joints including the knee, foot and ankle. Scholars claim that men are most vulnerable than
women, with women being 3 times less likely to contact gout compared to men. Its expression
and development is dependent on chronic hyperuricemia, development of monosodium urate
crystals and how inflammatory system interacts with the monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. In
this article, I am going to discuss the pathophysiology and pharmacology of gout and
corticosteroids. This condition is mostly pronounced among men after reaching the age of 40 and
among women after menopause. The review will therefore consider people within the age
bracket of 40 and 60 years.
Gout is influenced by certain factors such as genetic factors and environmental factors.
Age, sex, alcohol, obesity and diet also influence gout and corticosteroids. Presence of gout is
marked by the presence of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid. After one has been
diagnosed with this condition some modifiable risk factors such as obesity, diuretic therapy,
alcohol consumption and high purine diet need to be addressed. The signs and symptoms for
gout include intense pain in the joints, lingering discomfort, inflammation and redness on the
affected joints and limited movement. Different diagnosis methods including joint fluid test and
blood test are carried out to find out if one is suffering from this condition. After one is been
diagnosed with gout, different therapies can be applied for treatment. Among these is
administration of different drugs including corticosteroids and colchicine.

GOUT 3
Introduction
Gout is a sudden and a complicated type of arthritis that can attack anyone. It is the
oldest form of arthritis dating back to the 5th century BC (John Hopkins Medicine, 2020). This
condition does not attack a person based on socioeconomic status but it is related to uric acid
metabolism. The characteristic features of gout include swelling, tenderness, redness and pain in
the joints. In most cases gout start from the big tore. The attack of gout occurs abruptly such that
it can wake one from sleep with heat sensation on the big toe. The infected joints start to swell,
feels hot and become so tender that the weight of a bedsheet is unbearable. The signs and
symptoms of this condition may appear and go but there are ways to manage them and prevent
flares.
Pathophysiology
Gout is an inflammatory arthritis belonging to arthropathy group known as crystalline
arthropathies. It is due to an inflammatory response to uric acid crystals which are as a result of
high uric acid levels in the system, a phenomenon known as hyperuricemia. Continuous
accumulation and saturation of uric acid leads to crystals being deposited and accumulating in
tissues and joints which stimulate the body immune system to respond. Uric acid tophi, which
are characteristic features of tophaceou gout, manifest as stone like nodules under the skin and
could lead to considerable discomfort and destruction (Aslam and Michet, 2017). Factors leading
to the formation of these crystals have been identified however they vary from one person to
another. The variability of these factors among different people does not affect in any way the
expression and prevalence of this condition.