Gout Center of Excellence
Rheumatology Associates, PLLC is excited to make available to you our Gout Center of Excellence. Whether your gout flares and you need relief fast, or you’ve been treated for gout for years and haven’t been feeling much better, you can call us for a prompt appointment. No referral from another provider is needed. We offer the most up-to-date treatment, including Krystexxa infusions, which are not available at most medical offices. Call (502) 719-2472 to get your appointment scheduled.
What you need to know about Gout
Gout is a form of arthritis that develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid in the blood. The acid can form needle-like crystals in a joint and cause sudden inflammation, resulting in severe episodes of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling. Gout most often affects the big toe, but can also affect any joint including other toes, ankles, knees, elbows, and hands. Gout flares start suddenly and can last for days or weeks. Repeated gout flares tend to occur more frequently and become more severe.
Over time, uric acid crystals can accumulate in and around joints in hardened deposits called tophi. Getting early treatment is the best way to help prevent future flare-ups and guard against the formation of tophi.
Your risk for gout increases if you have a family history of the disease or chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and kidney disease. Eating a lot of high purine foods (red meat or organ meat) and beverages (beer) can also increase your risk.
There are several different medications used to treat gout. You may need a medication that relieves symptoms of an acute gout flare, one that prevents future attacks, or one that lowers the amount of uric acid in your body and reduces your risk of developing tophi. We are experts at helping find the right treatment plan for you.
While gout treatment primarily consists of medications, certain lifestyle changes can also be helpful, such as losing weight, limiting alcohol, and eating less purine-rich foods. We can help you change your diet to avoid or limit high-purine products.
If you have tried other gout medications and still have high uric acid, or you have ongoing gout symptoms despite treatment, a newer treatment called Krystexxa may be right for you. Krystexxa infusion therapy works differently than other treatments you may have tried. It helps get rid of uric acid and tophi much faster than older treatments, providing a shorter path to a more normal life less affected by gout.