How to Avoid a Gout Attack

Stay away from purine rich foods, like sardines.

Gout is a recurrent condition of joint swelling, inflammation, and pain related to the dietary intake of purine rich foods. Learn more about this condition and the simple steps to avoid gout.

Things You'll Need

• Low Purine Diet
• Prescription Medication

Instructions

1. Learn to recognize the symptoms of gout. These symptoms are easy to identify and include pain and swelling in a joint, pain from any sort of pressure to that area, burning or itching skin around the joint, and possibly fever. The first time a person suffers from an attack of gout, they may not make the connection to their diet, however certain foods are triggers for these types of recurring episodes. Using this insight into which foods cause gout may help you steer clear of another outbreak.

2. Avoid foods that cause gout. Your dietary intake of purine from foods, and it's resultant metabolism into uric acid, is the primary factor in the recurring presentation of gout symptoms. The gout causing foods to avoid include red meat, organ meats, meat gravies, and certain types of seafood, such as sardines, mussels, and anchovies. Excessive alcohol intake can also lead to a gout attack.

3. If you think you are experiencing these symptoms, see your health care provider and find out which treatments are right for you. Some sufferers may be okay with a special gout diet that limits their purine intake. While others may require prescription medication, such as allopurinol, that inhibits the production of uric acid in the body. These treatments for gout may help you to avoid future episodes of this painful condition.