When in gout, see a doctor

…and the doctor you should see is a rheumatologist.

Admittedly, that word is quite a mouthful. A trick for remembering that word: “rayuma” (Tagalog for arthritis) equals “rheumatologist.”

A rheumatologist treats people with arthritis (inflammation of the joints) or rheumatic diseases such as lupus and uncommon illnesses, including Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Sjogren's Syndrome.

Out of all these diseases, the Philippine Rheumatology Association (PRA) chose to launch a year-long campaign for awareness about gout.

The PRA defines gout as “an episodic, severely painful form of inflammatory arthritis due to increased uric acid.”

The disease affects 1.6 percent of the national population, meaning that out of 100 million Filipinos, about 1.6 million are gout sufferers.

Gout primarily affects men in their 20s and 30s, but there are women victims as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, women become "increasingly susceptible" to it after menopause.

During the 21st annual meeting of the PRA, Dr. Eric Jason Amante, PRA president, said the mismanagement of gout as a disease is becoming prevalent in the Philippines.

'Extreme' pain

If left untreated, “gout becomes more severe and attacks become more frequent,” said the PRA. “During gout attacks, pain is extreme. Even lightly touching affected joints can be intolerable.”

As the flyers, posters, and stickers for the campaign say, “There’s pain, then there’s gout pain.”

Mary Buenaventura, president and CEO of the Y&R PR group that prepared the materials for the campaign said they asked several gout sufferers to describe the pain they experienced.

Those who had gout said the pain is severe and unlike any they have experienced, Buenaventura said.

“Gout pain is a unique kind of pain,” she said, adding that “there are no words to describe it.”

In the video prepared for the gout awareness campaign, Steve Badiola, the 32-year-old singer of Typecast band, described gout as “sobrang sakit, mapapamura ka.”

PRA emphasizes: See a doctor

Amante said that often, when people experience gout symptoms, they tend to self-medicate.

He said some people seek advice on gout relief from family, friends, co-workers but not from rheumatologists who are trained to handle this disease.

Noting that most of the people affected by gout are in their 20s to 40s and are part of the working sector, Amante said the disease has a financial toll. Loss of income, loss of productivity, and absenteeism are some of the non-health problems associated with gout, he said.

Gout “leads to missed days at work, anger, and overall poor quality of life,” said the group.

Furthermore, if left untreated, gout can lead to kidney stones, joint erosions, deformities, and even kidney failure.

According to Amante, sometimes when gout sufferers first come to rheumatologists for treatment, it’s often too late and they are already in wheelchairs.

He stressed that people need to realize that gout can be managed just by visiting rheumatologists who can prescribe them the right medicine.

He added that the majority of those who have gout are in the low-income group, which is why they tend to self-medicate or take no medication at all.

Asked if the PRA will have a program to help gout sufferers who are less privileged, Amante said their current campaign is mainly for informational purposes but they will come up with a project for those who cannot afford medical treatment. — BM, GMA News