Gout on Your Plate: What this Looks Like and Smarter Food Choices to Reduce Flares

Gout is an inflammatory arthritis caused by raised urate levels (uric acid) leading to crystal formation in and around joints. When the immune system reacts to these crystals, you get the classic sudden, intensely painful flare.

Typical features include:

• Rapid onset (often overnight) of severe joint pain

• Marked swelling, redness and heat

• Extreme tenderness (even a bedsheet can feel unbearable)

• Often one joint at first (“monoarthritis”)