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Gout: No longer the blue-blooded disease
by Dr. Gifford Jones
King Henry VIII of England offers an excellent example of how too much wine, rich food and obesity trigger the agony of gout. But why did Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, and Benjamin Franklin, to name a few, develop this excruciating disease? And how can you decrease the risk?
More than nine million North Americans suffer from gout, a type of inflammatory arthritis in which the body produces too much uric acid, or the kidneys fail to excrete enough.
Genes play an important role. Gout and diseases such as diabetes are more likely to occur if there is a family history. But given the rise from only 3 million cases just over a decade ago, more than genetics is driving the problem.
King Henry VIII of England offers an excellent example of how too much wine, rich food and obesity trigger the agony of gout. But why did Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, and Benjamin Franklin, to name a few, develop this excruciating disease? And how can you decrease the risk?
More than nine million North Americans suffer from gout, a type of inflammatory arthritis in which the body produces too much uric acid, or the kidneys fail to excrete enough.
Genes play an important role
Genes play an important role. Gout and diseases such as diabetes are more likely to occur if there is a family history. But given the rise from only 3 million cases just over a decade ago, more than genetics is driving the problem.