Thursday, December 17, 2009

Just When Gout Was Bad I Get Kidney Stones

When people talk about gout, it is commonly associated with swollen and inflamed joints. However gout can cause other complications, and one of the most common ones is kidney stones.

Kidney stones are small rock-like masses. They range in size, sometimes they are small enough to exit the body through urination, but sometimes they should be large enough to block the flow of urine. When kidney stones are present in the body, urinating must be a very painful experience. There are several reasons for the formation of kidney stones in the body. However when kidney stones are present in a gout sufferer it is normally as a result of extreme uric acid present in the urine.

People who sufferer from reoccurring gout attacks have a higher risk of developing kidney stones than the typical person. Middle aged men and the elderly (both sexes) also have a higher chance of developing kidney stones. This is because middle aged men and and the elderly are the main gout sufferers, and they have higher levels of uric acid.

Another factor which increases the chances of developing kidney stones is the type of gout an individual suffers from. The two types of gout are known as primary and secondary gout. An individual suffers from primary gout when they have high levels of uric acid but the cause is unknown. An individual suffers from secondary gout when they have high levels of uric acid as a result of some underlying disorder.

Roughly 10 - 25 percent of primary gout sufferers will develop kidney stones, whilst 42 percent of secondary gout sufferers go on to develop kidney stones.

The symptoms of kidneys stones may vary from nothing at all to the ones mentioned below:

Blood in urine, nausea or vomiting as a result of severe pain.

Extreme pain in the lower back, groin abdomen or side.

If you tolerate any of the symptoms which have just been mentioned you can visit your doctor as soon as possible in order for him or her to diagnose your condition.