Gout is sometimes called the "disease of kings" because it has long been associated with the wrong kind of excess in food and wine, only the rich and powerful could afford. Gout is one of the most common forms of arthritis (inflammation). Gout is the state resulting from uric acid crystals in the filing of body tissues. Gout is characterized by an overload of uric acid in the body and recurring...

The most common symptom of gout, which afflicts about three-quarters of gout sufferers, is excruciating pain in the joint at the base of the big toe. However, joints in other parts of the body including the feet, hands, wrists, knees, shoulders, and elbows are fair game for gout attacks. Joints can become so swollen and inflamed that the patient develops a fever and chills. Gout comes on...

Gout is caused by the increase in the amount of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is normally removed from the body through the urine, however if it is not excreted it can form crystals, which irritate body tissues like the lining of joints. This will in turn cause inflammation and pain, which is often quite severe. The relief of pain is remarkable with some of the anti-inflammatory medicines...

There are pain syndromes like fibromyalgia and arthritis-related disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, that involve every part of the body. There are relatively mild forms of tendinitis (as in 'tennis elbow') and bursitis to crippling systemic forms, such as rheumatoid arthritis. There are forms of the disease, such as gout, which almost nobody connects with this condition, and there...

Pseudogout, or CPPD, is a disease very similar to gout. Gout and CPPD are often confused due to their similarities in onset. The cause of CPPD is unknown and seems to effect both men and women equally. X-ray findings are similar with one exception. Individuals with CPPD with show small islands of calcium deposition in the lining of the joint referred to as calcinosis. Diagnosing CPPD may...