I need a simple definition of “What Is Gout?”
It is a question that gets asked every day, but I am struggling to come up with a simple definition.
Of course, the answer will depend on who is asking the question. I visualize someone who has just been diagnosed with gout, who needs to know what this newly acquired disease means to them.
I’m guessing that most longterm gout sufferers know the answer, or stopped asking what is gout, because the answers were too confusing.
You might ask why this matters.
Why Do We Need To Know What Is Gout?
Most people ask the question as a forerunner to asking how to deal with it. If you get good advice about what gout is, you have a good chance of fixing it. However, every day I see poor explanations of what is gout. This poor starting point leaves gout sufferers going off in wrong directions.
I have touched on this many times in my articles about gout myths. Perhaps the best way to know what gout is, is to know what it is not.
It is not an eating disorder. It is not always a sore toe problem. It is rarely controlled by a fixed dose of 300mg allopurinol daily.
When explanations of what is gout include poor guesses about the cause of gout, it is a bad start. Gout patients become confused about what they must and must not do. Vital medications are missed or ignored, simply because of confusion caused by not knowing what gout is.
What Is Gout Definition
Please read my definition of What Is Gout in today’s article. If you can add to it, or if you do not understand it, please share your opinions and questions below.