Gouty tophus is so
vicious that it grows virtually in any synovial joints in your body. One may fear that once he grow tophus in any
part of his body, it is certain that somewhere another tophacious deposit will
grow. The sad truth is, this is quite true. The even sadder truth is the fact
that millions of lifestyles have been drastically limited and hundreds of
thousands of lives have been ruined because of this.
Unfortunately, gouty
tophi in the wrist are hard to diagnose, especially because other diseases
portray similar symptoms. BUT FEAR NOT! This article will help you with self-diagnosis
or in your preparation for your check-up.
Gouty tophi in the wrist
The purpose of your
wrist is not only to be a display case of splendid accessories such as
wristwatches and bracelets. They serve an important role to the grasping
abilities and flexibility of your limbs. Because of this, a simple damage here
can maim you in severe degrees. That is why it is important to know how to anticipate
possible disorders to occur to your wrist, including gouty tophi.
How does gouty tophi attack the
wrist?
Surprisingly, our
wrist is composed of eight bones called the carpals. These bones are connected
by the intercarpal joints which are synovial in nature. Its synovial membrane
is notably extensive. This makes your wrist rich in Synovial fluids, especially
if we will consider the presence of the two bursae which secretes synovial
fluids. In short, as a rich deposit of Synovial fluids, your wrist is a gouty
tophi hotspot.
Typically, the patient
is already experiencing gout attacks in the other parts of the body before gout
attacks begin assaulting the wrist. Therefore, gouty tophi in the wrist is more
predictable.
Consequences of gouty tophi in
the wrist
Gouty tophi on your
wrist will surely be debilitating. All those eight carpals will be rendered
useless by the pain. The further effects of having an immobile limb is pretty
much self-explanatory. Worse, when the crystals grow large enough, they can
cause even more pain and damage.
The damage caused by
the crystals to your wrist can range from mild to irreversible. It will be hard
to repair the damaged cartilages, and it is quite impossible to heal the
damaged joint. If the tophus reaches a point where it pierced the skin,
infection is also possible.
Symptoms of gouty tophi in the
wrist
Fortunately, gouty tophi
in the wrist is quite predictable.
This list will help
you diagnose yourself of wrist gout or even gout itself. You can ask yourself if
you are currently experiencing the following. This are common questions that
doctors ask when patients seek wrist gout check-ups. The more you say yes, the more likely it is
that you have wrist gout. Along this list are details about diseases that have the
same signs and cause confusion.
1.
Earlier Gout Attacks
As aforementioned, gout attacks in other joints
are more likely to occur first before attacking the wrist. However, pain in the
joints are not solely caused by gout. There are other diseases that can cause
this pain such as tendinitis, bursitis, different kinds of arthritis, lyme
disease, lupus and a long list of other diseases. Take note that these diseases
may accompany gout or may even be caused by the gout itself. For instance,
bursitis, which is an inflammation of a bursa sac, may be caused by tophi
crystals in the sac. Hence, if you are not yet diagnosed of gout attacks, the
challenge is to identify if it is indeed gout attack.
2.
Painful, Swollen and Red Wrist
Just like gout in other parts of the body, it
is accompanied by swelling and redness. These reactions may be caused by the
tophi crystals protruding or by your immune system trying to expel the
soon-to-form tophi crystals. This is usually accompanied by fever, and usually
occurs in the night because of the relatively low temperature. However, take
note that there are other causes of swollen joints and reddish skin. This
includes cellulitis and ganglion cyst.
Ganglion cyst is characterized by a fluid
–filled swelling of the infected area and commonly occur in the fingers and the
wrist. It is not as painful as gout. The exact nature of the disease is still
unknown, but it is found out that the fluid has the same composition as the
synovial fluid. This means that there is a small probability of its involvement
with gout.
If you said yes to
both symptoms AND considered the possible ambiguity caused by certain
circumstances (as described in the symptoms) or was undecided, then it is time
for you to see your doctor for confirmation. However, take note that the
diagnosis of gout in the wrist is a difficult process. You will have to undergo
a process called athrocentesis where synovial fluids are extracted from your
wrist and observed if Uric acid crystals are present.
In case athrocentesis
does not suffice, you will be diagnosed based on your experiences. Your doctors
will ask questions confirming your gout, such as gout attack frequency, if you
had recently indulged yourself with so much purine or if you have history of
gout. Unfortunately, most of the signs the doctor will look for are gout
symptoms based on empirical data (such as inheritance or injury related gout).
It will not be 100% accurate.
Gout or not, there is an aid available
Whether you are a gout
victim so afraid of the additional restraints gout can shackle you with or
someone who is simply afraid that the pain in your wrist can be caused by gout,
there are options for you to rest assured.
You can undergo the
wise low-purine diet. This will be healthy for you whether you are a gout
victim or not. Unfortunately, some gout victims are still not experiencing
developments even if they maintain such diet. They still suffer from high uric
acid. In both cases, ionized alkaline water can help.
No matter how acidic
your blood is, ionized alkaline water can restore the balance. One brand that
can do this with speed is Calkaline. If you are interested in learning how
Calkaline does this in a FAST AND EFFICIENT manner, you can
read HERE <- link for natural treatment for tophy.
Wrist gout is
particularly damaging and is very stealthy. In case of uncertainty, you should
take precautionary measures. A little change in the diet along with a few
glasses of ionized alkaline water a day will not hurt, but gouty wrist will, in
a manner that you will most likely despise. Avoid tophi in your wrist. Avoid
tophi in all parts of your precious body. Live freely. Live without the binding
restrains caused by gout.
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