Medically reviewed by Paula Tanasa, MD
What is gout?
Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in the blood and forms tiny needle-shaped crystals that can be deposited almost anywhere in the body, including the joints. , bones, heart, spine, kidneys and eyes. These deposits can form visible lumps in the joints, called tophi.
Can women get gout?
You may be wondering, can women get gout? The answer is simple: yes.
Gout is almost twice as common in men as in women — 5.2% men and 2.7% women report having gout – but women can still suffer from it.
Estrogen helps remove uric acid from the body. So, women tend to suffer from gout after menopause, which causes them to lose estrogen. Women who have not gone through menopause can still have gout, but it is less common. People with chronic kidney disease are also at higher risk.
Why You Should Pay Attention to Your Gout Risk
Gout can signal other health risks, especially for women.
Actually, a study showed that women with gout were 39% more likely to have a heart attack than women without gout. Another study found that women with gout were more likely than men to have high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease and obesity.
Gout is on the rise in women
Over the past 20 years, cases of gout have more than doubled in women.
Today, 2 million women in the United States suffer from this inflammatory form of arthritis.
It’s not clear why gout rates are increasing, but the aging population and increasing obesity may be factors.
Gout Symptoms in Women
Typical symptoms of gout are gout flare-ups, which can cause severe pain, swelling, redness and pain in the joints. This includes the characteristic sign: pain in the big toe. Gout symptoms in women may be different from typical symptoms, however. Although gout often comes on suddenly and intensely, women are more likely than men to experience joint pain that begins more slowly and affects multiple joints at once. These joints include the knees, toes, wrists and fingers.
Although a classic sign of gout is sharp pain in the big toe, women often experience pain in their hands instead. As a result, healthcare providers can sometimes confuse gout with inflammatory osteoarthritiswhich causes swelling and pain in the fingers.
Women are often rejected or ignored by health care providers generally. This can come into play in a disease like gout, which is often misdiagnosed, especially in women who don’t always have telltale symptoms. It is therefore important to advocate for yourself if you think you have gout. One way to do this is to order a blood test to measure your uric acid levels. If your level is above 6 mg/dl and you experience flare-ups, you may have gout.
Diagnosis and treatments of gout
For most people, gout flares can be managed with anti-inflammatory medications like colchicine or steroids, or with oral medications that reduce uric acid, the root cause of the condition. If you have gout that persists after taking oral medications, talk to your doctor about your options.
This resource was created with support from Horizon Therapeutics.
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