Gout rising among young men in Wales

CWMRHYDYCEIRW, Wales, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Binge drinking has sparked a rash of gout among Welsh men in their 20s, likely leading to chronic ill health, a hospital emergency room consultant says.

The disease, characterized by painful inflammation of the joints, especially in the feet and hands, was formerly more common in males in their 50s, due to medicine or rich diets, said accident and emergency consultant Mike McCade of Morriston Hospital in Cwmrhydyceirw, Wales.

But "we are seeing it now in men in their mid 20s, often due to alcohol, and it will cause them chronic ill health," he told the South Wales Echo.

"Gout can be very debilitating -- it's not a laughing matter," he said.

Binge drinking is also leading to early stages of liver damage and problems such as hypertension among people in their 20s and 30s, Dr. David Bailey, chairman of the Welsh general practitioners committee, told the newspaper.

Gout -- historically known as "the disease of kings" or the "rich man's disease" -- is caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. The uric acid crystallizes and deposits in joints, tendons and surrounding tissues.

Affecting 1 percent of the Western populations, it is marked by chronic or acute inflammatory arthritis, causing red, hot, tender, swollen joints, with the skin sometimes turning purplish red.

The elevated uric acid is also the major constituent of kidney stones.

U.S. research published in 2004 found that drinking two or three beers a day can increase the risk of developing gout by as much as 2 1/2 times.

Beer was found to be a more likely cause of gout than wine or hard liquor. Gout has also been linked to the consumption of sugary soft drinks.