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Gout is a fairly common condition that can cause bad pain and swelling in your joints, usually in your big toe joint. The disease occurs when tiny crystals of a chemical called urate build up in your joints.

Urate is a chemical in your blood. It's made in the body when you digest certain foods. It's usually in the form of a harmless liquid that passes out of the body in your urine. But in some people, the amount of urate in the blood builds up.¹ It starts to form tiny crystals, which can collect in a joint. The crystals can cause inflammation and pain.

Gout normally affects only one joint at a time. The main big toe joint (which doctors call the first metatarsophalangeal joint) is most often affected. But you can also get gout in any of the joints in your:

• Feet
• Ankles
• Knees
• Wrists
• Fingers
• Elbows.

Gout can occur when you have too much urate in your blood.² Not everyone with high levels of urate in their blood gets gout. But the more urate you have in your blood, the more likely you are to get an attack of gout.¹

Here are some of the reasons why some people get more urate in their blood:

• Drinking too much alcohol. Studies show that drinking beer and liquor, but not wine, increases your chances of getting gout.³
• Eating a lot of certain foods, especially red meat or some seafood. But low-fat dairy products, like skim milk, may protect you from getting gout. They help your body process urate faster.^{3 4}
• Being very overweight (obese).^{5 6}
• Having certain illnesses. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.^{5 6} If you have an attack of gout, your doctor may test you for these diseases. But they are not caused by gout.
• Taking certain medications, such as diuretics (water tablets) for high blood pressure and regular aspirin in low doses.⁷

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.