What is gout and why is it on the rise?

Gout is an increasingly common condition, but stigma often prevents sufferers from obtaining treatment

- Brendan Borrell

The doctor told the then 20-something product designer living in Kentucky that he must have banged his foot up and advised him to stay off it.

The pain subsided after several weeks but kept returning about twice a year.

At times, the pain was so severe that he would use crutches around the house and wear construction boots because the slightest touch could be excruciating.

"It kind of makes you want to cut your foot off," Mr Edmondson said. "It's like all your joints are full of broken glass."

About five years later, after an unrelenting series of flareups, he saw a new doctor who diagnosed him with gout.

Globally, gout rates have climbed by more than 20 per cent since 1990, rising alongside rates of other chronic conditions like obesity, which can worsen the disease.

In the US, the condition affects more than 12 million people and is up to four times more common in men than in women, whose higher oestrogen levels are thought to have a protective effect.

Despite the prevalence of gout, once called the "disease of kings", it still carries widespread stigma that it is a problem only for gluttons or heavy drinkers.

Even doctors often emphasise dietary half-measures over proven, long-term treatments.

Only about one-third of gout patients receive medication for gout, and among those who do, many are kept on doses too low to be effective.

Because attacks are often triggered by heavy meat or alcohol consumption, the holidays can be a dangerous time for people who leave the condition untreated.

Here, experts shed light on what gout is, how to treat it and what foods, if any, are best for it.

WHAT IS GOUT?

Gout is an ancient disease - there is evidence for it in one T. Rex specimen - but humans have a number of mutations that make us more predisposed to it than your average primate.