(BPT) - At first glance, two men from different states and from different generations would not appear to have much in common. Joseph is a 42-year-old volunteer from Minnesota, and Alton is a 75-year-old accountant from Utah. What they have in common is that both are living with gout and have high uric acid levels.
Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men and affects approximately eight million Americans. Gout is caused by a buildup of uric acid. This uric acid buildup is also known as hyperuricemia, the medical name for high uric acid in your blood. If you have gout, high uric acid can form crystals in your joints. When this happens, it can lead to inflammation that causes extremely painful gout attacks. Gout flares happen most often in the big toe, but they can also occur in other parts of the body and can last from hours to weeks. The pain is often described as throbbing, crushing or excruciating.
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