What causes gout?

The swelling and pain in a gout attack are caused by the uric acid crystals that built up in the joint and cause inflammation. The main causes of gout are as follows. It is seen that genetics play a major role in the development of gout as nearly 18 percent of the patients had a family history of gout. Gout is more common in men and mostly affects adults.

Another cause

of gout could be being overweight. Alcohol in large quantities can also lead to hyperuricemia as it hampers the removal of uric acid from the body. Foods rich in purines can also aggravate or cause gout. Similarly some medicines and medical problems also cause gout. Exposure to high level of lead and an enzyme defect can also cause high level of uric acid in some cases.