Too much rich food and alcohol binges leading to increase in cases of gout here

OVER-INDULGENCE in rich food and alcohol is contributing to a rise in gout, a disease more commonly linked to overfed elderly men in the 19th century.

A new study shows one in four patients who was tested had elevated blood levels of uric acid. A build-up of uric acid is linked to conditions such as gout and kidney disease as well as high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

Uric acid is a waste product which is produced when the body breaks down purines found in many foods, drinks and alcohol, researchers at the University of Limerick said.

Although family history plays a role in the creation of uric acid, a more likely explanation is that we are becoming more sedentary, obese, consuming more sugary drinks and are less physically active.

Gout is a metabolic disease in which crystals of uric acid form in the body’s tissues or joints.

It can be crippling and cause sudden severe pain in any joint – usually the big toe or fingers, wrists, elbows or knees.

Researchers at the Graduate Entry Medical School in Limerick studied more than 128,000 patients in the Irish health system.

They found uric acid levels soared by 21pc over a nine-year period, with increases seen in all age groups from young adults to the very elderly.

Resultant problems in addition to gout include heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and kidney disease.

“What we found was astonishing,” said Prof Austin Stack, principal investigator for the Limerick Kidney Health Consortium.

Sugar

Researchers used data from the National Kidney Disease Surveillance System, based in the University of Limerick’s Graduate Entry Medical School, and tracked patients between 2006 and 2014 in the mid-west and north-west regions.

Prof Stack added: “In 2006 just over one-fifth of all patients were estimated to have elevated uric acid levels in their blood. By 2014, this number had increased to almost one-quarter.

“While this was not a national random sample, it included a very large group of patients from all demographics.

“We identified rising levels of uric acid in every subgroup of patients and in all clinical settings between 2006 and 2014, whether they attended outpatient clinics, were hospitalised as inpatients or visited their GP in general practice.”

Around 30pc of the uric acid we produce is due to our lifestyle and diet, in particular food and drinks with fructose and sugar.

“There is increasing evidence to suggest that high uric acid levels may be a causal factor in kidney disease,” said Prof Shack.

“Each year in Ireland around 400 people start on dialysis for kidney failure. However, kidney disease is detected in around 15pc of all patients entering the Irish health system.”

He said even more concerning was the fact that high levels of uric acid were directly linked to the development of several major health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, heart attacks and strokes.

People with high levels of uric acid should eat less red meat and cut down on kidneys, liver and seafood. Alcohol should be reduced or eliminated from the diet. Sugary drinks should be avoided and it is advised to drink two litres of water a day.