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(08) 6110 0570admin@pdchealthhub.com.auGout is a sudden, severe arthritis caused by urate crystals forming in a joint, most often the big toe. Urate lowering medicine from your GP brings levels down, and our dietitians cover the diet side.
Gout is a form of arthritis caused by urate, also called uric acid, building up and forming needle-like crystals in and around a joint.1,2 Crystals accumulate quietly over months or years, then set off sudden, severe inflammation.1 An attack comes on fast, often overnight, with a joint that is intensely painful, swollen, red, warm and tender to touch, and it usually lasts one to two weeks.1,2 The big toe is the classic site, although hands, wrists, knees, ankles and elbows are all affected.2
The diet picture is narrower than most people hope. High purine foods, including red meat and offal, some seafood, and yeast foods such as beer and Vegemite, are converted to urate, but healthdirect says there is not much proof that avoiding them reduces attacks, and Arthritis Australia says the same.1,3 What does hold up is drinking less alcohol and avoiding binge drinking, cutting back on sugary drinks, gradual rather than crash weight loss, drinking enough water, and limiting the specific foods you have noticed set you off.1,3
Medicine is the prescriber's call. Your GP treats an attack, with options including anti-inflammatory medicines, corticosteroids or colchicine, and aspirin is not recommended.1 For prevention, a daily urate lowering medicine such as allopurinol reduces how much urate the body makes, and it is taken whether or not you are having an attack.1,2 Arthritis Australia notes that most people on these medicines can still eat purine rich foods by controlling the quantity, which is exactly the conversation to have with a dietitian.3
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Symptoms are a guide, not a diagnosis. Your GP confirms the diagnosis; our team helps you manage it day to day.
The teams and services that most often support people with this condition. They work from one shared plan, and one GP referral reaches all of them.
This page follows Australian guidance: healthdirect Australia's gout information, and Arthritis Australia's Gout and Gout and diet information sheets.
Probably not on their own. Australian sources say there is little proof that avoiding purine rich foods prevents attacks. Drinking less alcohol, fewer sugary drinks, gradual weight loss and enough water are the changes worth making, alongside the medicine your GP prescribes.
You do not have to cut alcohol out completely, but drinking less and avoiding binge drinking genuinely matters. Attacks appear more common in people who drink beer and spirits than wine, and beer carries purines as well as alcohol. Your GP and pharmacist can tell you how alcohol sits with your medicines.
Because urate lowering medicine works by keeping urate down all the time, so crystals stop forming. It is taken whether or not you are having an attack. Starting it, choosing the dose and monitoring it are your GP's decisions, not ours.
Yes. Repeated attacks in the big toe change how you walk and what footwear you can tolerate, and the skin and nails take a beating. Our podiatrists assess the foot, provide nail and skin care, advise on footwear and prescribe orthoses, and can check circulation with ankle brachial index and toe pressures.
No. Crash dieting and long periods without enough food raise urate and can trigger an attack. Gradual weight loss with a balanced diet and regular activity is the safer route, which is what our dietitians and exercise physiologists set up together.
Tell us what is going on and we will point you to the right discipline, or to more than one. Most people start with a single appointment and leave with a plan the rest of the team can see.
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