What does gout look like

Most people may be familiar with gout. Suffering from gout itself is a very painful thing for patients. If tophi appear, it is often unbearable. Many people may not know much about tophi, nor do they know what tophi look like. There are many reasons for patients tophi. While actively treating it, you must develop good living habits in your daily life.

What do tophi look like?

During the course of gout, patients will develop a hard nodule called a "tophi", also known as a gout nodule. It is a nodule formed by the deposition of sodium urate crystals in the soft tissue, causing chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Tophi are most commonly found in the helix of the ear, and are also commonly seen in the first metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe, fingers, wrists, elbows and knee joints. In a small number of patients, they may appear in the nasal cartilage, tongue, vocal cords, eyelids, aorta, heart valves and myocardium. Gout stones vary in size, ranging from small ones like sesame seeds to large ones like eggs.

Why do tophi occur?

1. Age Factor

Older people are more susceptible to gout than younger people, and the age of onset is around 45 years old. However, due to the general improvement in people's living standards in recent years, overnutrition and reduced exercise, gout is developing at a younger age. Nowadays, it is also common to see gout patients around 30 years old.

2. Dietary factors

In recent years, people's dietary structure has changed significantly, especially among young people aged 20 to 40, whose diets contain high-energy and high-purine substances. Data shows that before the onset of gout, more than 90% of gout patients in this age group had the habit of drinking heavily and eating meat, animal offal, seafood and other foods rich in purine.

3. Weight Factor

Obese middle-aged men are more susceptible to gout, especially those who do not like to exercise, eat more meat protein, and have overnutrition. They are more likely to suffer from gout than those with normal nutrition.

Gout Diet Taboos

Since gout is caused by excessive purine in the body, the gout diet should avoid foods containing purine, eat more low-purine foods, and avoid foods that induce gout. You should:

1. Avoid spicy condiments

People with gout should avoid spicy foods. Since spicy condiments can excite the autonomic nervous system and induce acute attacks of gout, excessive consumption of spicy condiments will be detrimental to gout, so condiments should be consumed less or in moderation.

2. Avoid foods high in purine

Gout is caused by excessive purine. You should avoid eating foods containing high purine to prevent large amounts of uric acid from being metabolized in the body and forming urate crystals, which can cause gout. For example, you can eat less longan, peas, onions, etc.

3. Drink less soup

Soups contain a large amount of purine, which will cause an increase in uric acid after consumption. Therefore, drink less meat broth, fish soup, chicken soup, hot pot soup, etc.

People with gout can eat common low-purine foods, such as whole grains, eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables, etc.; eat more alkaline foods to excrete uric acid, such as green vegetables, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, etc.; eat more foods rich in active enzymes to break down purines, such as female carrots.