It was traditionally known as the ‘disease of kings,’ but studies indicate that hospital admissions for gout have increased due to binge eating and decreased exercise during the lockdowns.
The number of hospital admissions for gout increased by 20% in three years, reaching 234,000 in 2021/22, according to NHS Digital statistics.
During the same period, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity.
According to experts, many individuals spend more time seated during Covid lockdowns and consume more snacks and junk food while working from home.
A gout is an inflammatory form of arthritis that produces sudden and excruciating joint pain.
The National Obesity Forum’s Tam Fry told The Sunday Telegraph, “Forget Falstaff, Henry VIII, and the wealthy Victorians who made gout notorious.”
The Elizabethans of the present day consumes and consume them all.
Gout is one of the oldest recognized disorders, dating back to ancient Egypt.
Symptoms include abrupt, intense joint pain, most commonly in the big toe but also in other joints in the feet, hands, wrists, elbow, or knees.
Some individuals may also experience red, puffy, and heated skin over the afflicted joint.
It is caused by an excess of uric acid in the body, which can result in the deposition of sodium urate crystals in and around the joints, resulting in pain and discomfort.
It can cause terrible agony but is typically curable with ibuprofen or steroids if the discomfort and inflammation do not subside.
However, Mr. Fry worried that the NHS was not providing enough assistance to the afflicted.
‘Gout victims are a long way from receiving the treatment they require, and their awful care is akin to that of the Middle Ages,’ he said.
To prevent a recurrence of gout, the NHS suggests achieving a healthy weight, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and eating a healthy diet.
