If you are one of the more than two million people in the US today who suffer from gout, you probably aren’t comforted by knowing you have what has been termed “the disease of kings”. Gout can be extremely painful and limiting to the sufferer.

Gout occurs when there is an accumulation of sodium urate crystals in the joints which form as a result of an abnormally high level of uric acid in the blood. Sixty percent of those who suffer a first attack of gout may expect it to recur, often within one year. Untreated, gout can lead to permanent joint damage and chronic pain.

The Gout & Uric Acid Education Society have a website dedicated to education for gout sufferers on the disease itself, treatments and lifestyle changes to assist the gout sufferer with regaining quality of life.

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men over 40 and women past menopause.

For information and education about gout, visit the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and Yale University Medical Schools say that a blood test to measure uric acid could reveal a risk factor for cognitive problems in older adults.

The study found that high-normal levels of uric acid were associated with lower scores on tests that measured mental processing speed, verbal memory and working memory. The study involved 96 participants aged 60 to 92 years.

Uric acid levels naturally increase with age. Higher levels of uric acid are linked with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers suggest that uric acid testing could potentially become a valuable biological marker for early cognitive problems in older adults.

High-normal uric acid linked with mild cognitive impairment in elderly