(Photo by Anete Lusina via Pexels) By Stephen Beech via SWNS Gout is hereditary rather than down to lifestyle, suggests a new study. Once regarded as an illness of the wealthy and believed to have been suffered by Henry VIII, the painful condition is the most common form of arthritis in men and affects around one in 40 adults. Gout has seen a resurgence in recent years with an almost 1,000% rise in cases in just four years in some parts of England.
Symptoms include sudden severe pain in a joint, often the big toe, as well as hot, swollen, red skin over the affected joint. Now a new study, led by researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand, suggests the cause may be down to our genes. Wikimedia Commons The team analyzed genetic information from 2.
6 million people from around the world. The findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics , showed that inherited genetics is an important part of why some people get gout and most others don’t. Senior author Professor Tony Merriman hopes the study will remove some of the stigma around gout.
He said: "Gout is a chronic disease with a genetic basis and is not the fault of the sufferer – the myth that gout is caused by lifestyle or diet needs to be busted. "This widespread myth causes shame in people with gout, making some people more likely to suffer in silence and not go and see the doctor to get a preventive drug that lowers urate in the blood and will prevent their pain. "People need to understand that while speci.
