A new survey from the nonprofit Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) highlights an alarming awareness gap among Americans regarding the risk factors for gout, a chronic, potentially disabling form of arthritis which now affects an estimated 8.3 million Americans. Among the survey findings are that only one in 10 Americans correctly cited cardiovascular disease as a risk factor for gout, while only one in three Americans correctly reported that obesity is a risk factor, and less than one in five reported that diabetes and kidney disease are risk factors. GUAES released the survey findings in advance of its annual Gout Awareness Day on May 22.
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New recommendations from the American Society of Clinical Rheumatologists (ASCR), published in Postgraduate Medicine, highlight updated management recommendations for patients with acute gout. These new recommendations come at a time when the incidence of gout is soaring; 8.3 million Americans are estimated to be gout patients.
Instead of challenging, restrictive dieting, patients are encouraged to consume a balanced diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts and grains. More importantly, patients should limit their intake of high fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in many processed foods and drinks, and purine-rich foods, particularly red meat, beer and shellfish.
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The number of gout patients is rising, with an estimated 8.3 million American adults diagnosed with gout—but only 10 percent of them are being properly treated, according to the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society. To heighten awareness and knowledge about gout and to lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment, the society has released two new comprehensive kits to educate patients and provide consistent information for medical professionals. The release of the Take a Stand on Gout Patient Education Kit and Medical Professional Information Kit coincides with Gout Awareness Day, an annual commemoration on May 22 to call attention to the growing incidence of gout and to enhance knowledge so as to improve patient outcomes. Both kits provide new, substantial information about gout from specialists, who treat gout patients every day.
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The Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) has added six new educational videos for patients and medical professionals to its library of popular educational videos on gout, highlighting the society’s most important takeaways from the recently released American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Guidelines on Gout Diagnosis and Treatment. Available under the patient and medical professional portals on www.GoutEducation.org, respectively, the latest videos emphasize the need for continuous communication between gout patients and their doctors about their unique treatment plan, to help prevent gout flares and long-term complications from this poorly understood form of inflammatory arthritis.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60699-gout-uric-acid-education-society-guaes-new-videos-on-acr-guidelines
Entering its 10th year of providing gout education, the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) is amplifying its efforts on May 22 – National Gout Awareness Day – and encouraging gout sufferers to seek immediate and ongoing treatment. Information and resources are available to both the general public and medical professionals through the organization’s new website, found at GoutEducation.org.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/7134051-gout-and-uric-acid-education-society-national-gout-awareness-day
It’s normal to have uric acid in your body, but too much can increase your risk for gout – an extremely painful form of inflammatory arthritis that often presents with other health issues, including kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes and permanent joint and tissue damage. Despite this, just 10 percent of gout sufferers are being properly treated – and more than one-third have not had their uric acid checked in the past five years.
To raise awareness about the need for timely treatment for gout – including regular monitoring of serum uric acid (sUA) levels – the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) has introduced a new “Go for Six” campaign. The campaign urges those who have or who are at risk for gout to get their sUA levels checked every six months, and to work with their doctor to determine a treatment plan for controlling gout and keeping sUA levels to a healthy 6 mg/dL or below.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7420351-gout-uric-acid-go-for-six-campaign/
With gout incidence on the rise, an increasing number of medical professionals, across multiple fields of practice, will continue to be exposed to patients who suffer from gout and are seeking an accurate diagnosis and treatment. However, despite the availability of the “Guidelines for the Management of Gout” by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), there are many inconsistencies in how gout is diagnosed, treated and discussed by medical professionals. Conflicting messages and treatment recommendations can contribute to confusion, and even lack of compliance, on behalf of the patient – particularly when gout is connected with comorbid conditions, such as kidney disease, heart disease or diabetes.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7362551-gout-uric-acid-education-society-guaes-roundtable-consensus-paper/
Extremely painful and destructive, gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis with elevated serum uric acid (sUA) a root cause of the disease. Even with the growing incidence of gout, recent research from the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) found that just 16 percent of Americans overall know the target sUA number for gout (6 mg/dL or below) – and just 38 percent of people with gout had their sUA levels checked within the past six months, the timeframe recommended by the American College of Rheumatology. Additionally, the majority of gout sufferers don’t understand the importance of taking daily uric acid-lowering medications, with four in 10 incorrectly believing that they can stop taking medications when they aren’t experiencing flares.
Seeking to increase recognition of the severity of gout and need for routine sUA testing and management, GUAES hosted a professional roundtable discussion on October 3, 2015. The roundtable brought together several experts – rheumatologists, a family care physician, and representatives from the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the National Kidney Foundation and CreakyJoints – to explore how to more effectively educate about gout and improve access to public education and treatment.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7715851-guaes-gout-roundtable-discussion/
A new survey from the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) finds many Americans with gout may be placing too much emphasis on diet when it comes to managing the disease and controlling painful flares. Of all the steps taken to manage gout, respondents cited changing their diet by eliminating or reducing consumption of certain foods as their top step taken (50 percent)—even ahead of taking medications to lower their uric acid levels (40 percent) and maintaining an overall healthy fitness level (33 percent). Furthermore, nearly one in three with gout incorrectly believes that the disease can be completely avoided by eliminating certain foods; and more than one in four said they would not take medications if they were making dietary changes.
“Physicians all too often see patients who believe they can successfully manage their gout with diet alone,” said N. Lawrence Edwards, M.D., a rheumatologist and GUAES chairman. “But even with extremely rigid diet restrictions, most gout patients will only be able to lower their uric acid levels slightly—not nearly enough to achieve a healthy level to control flares and reduce risk for long-term damage.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7835451-guaes-diet-survey/
