Gout and arthritis cause joint pain, but have different underlying causes and affect different joints. Gout is caused by uric acid crystal buildup and affects middle-aged men and women, while arthritis can be degenerative or autoimmune and affects females more often. Treatment and medication also differ between the two conditions. Gout sufferers can control flare-ups by avoiding alcohol and purine-rich foods.
While gout and arthritis are both characterized by pain in the joints, the underlying causes of that pain are different. The buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints, causing swelling and pain, is known as gout. This condition causes flare-ups characterized by inflammation of the joints, which is itself arthritis. There are various forms of arthritis with underlying causes other than the accumulation of sodium urate crystals. Gout and arthritis differ in the joints they affect, the age and gender of the sufferers, and the treatment and drug therapy prescribed for these conditions.
Arthritis can be degenerative or rheumatoid, among other types of condition. Gout is neither considered degenerative nor an autoimmune disease, as is the case with rheumatoid arthritis. Although gout and arthritis affect people of all ages and both genders, there are some marked differences seen in patients diagnosed with these conditions. Middle-aged men and women who have gone through menopause make up the majority of gout sufferers. Young people rarely develop gout, but those who get it before the age of 30 tend to have very severe symptoms.
Sufferers of osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis, have few or no symptoms when they are young. Rheumatoid arthritis, unlike gout, affects females much more often than males and usually occurs between the ages of 25 and 50. Gout and arthritis differ not only in the type of patients affected but also in the nature of the condition. For example, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, while gout is a condition that occurs when blood levels of uric acid are too high due to the inability of the kidneys to eliminate enough of this acid in the urine. This is why gout and arthritis can be treated with different types of medications.
Immunosuppressive drugs are sometimes used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but not gout. Anti-gout medications are often among the medications used to treat gout, but not other forms of arthritis. Gout and arthritis also differ slightly in the specific joints affected. The joints in the feet, particularly at the base of the big toe, as well as the ankle, knee, wrist and elbow, are most affected by gout. Arthritis, on the other hand, can affect any joint but tends to cause pain in the fingers, neck, lower back, knees and hip.
Gout and arthritis also differ in how patients control flare-ups. Gout sufferers can help reduce joint pain, known as gouty arthritis, by avoiding alcoholic beverages and purine-rich foods. Alcohol interferes with the proper functioning of the kidneys and purines in food are converted into uric acid by the body. Foods high in purines include sardines, herring, asparagus, anchovies, organ meats and mushrooms.
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