Why does gout tend to occur in the big toe?

Gout patients know that once the gout attack occurs, it will make the patient “unbearable”, but at the same time, many friends have found that 80% of gout patients start from the big toe first attack, and then transferred to other parts of the ankle, knee, elbow and so on. So why is this? Why do gout attacks usually start in the big toe? There are several reasons.

1.Sodium urate has low solubility in legs

According to experiments, the solubility of sodium urate in 37 ℃ saline is very high, which happens to be very close to the value of patients with hyperuricemia. That is, the normal body temperature inside the human body reaches 37 ℃, in the ideal state, the body is able to dissolve this sodium urate.
However, the concentration of saline solution in the human body is limited, and only the temperature of the core area of the trunk is 37 ℃. Therefore, the solubility of sodium urate in different parts of the body is not uniform. In particular, the big toe, which is farthest from the heart area, becomes the weakest part of the body in terms of uric acid solubility.

2.Poor circulation in the big toe

The big toe area has less subcutaneous fat, poor blood circulation, and the water content of the skin is lower than that of the trunk. Uric acid in the blood can easily precipitate to form urate crystals.
Other joint parts of blood vessels as well as muscles are more abundant, blood flow is smooth, blood uric acid is not easily precipitated, arthritis, stones are less likely.

3.Big toe has more daily activities and more injuries than other parts of the foot

People will use the big toe joint in their daily walking and sports, and all the weight of the body will be gathered on the feet, which makes the feet, especially the big toe area under increased pressure, and is most likely to be damaged.
Tiny uric acid crystals are easily dislodged from the damaged joints, leading to an acute attack of gout. According to surveys, more than 90% of gout patients have relatively recurrent pain in the big toe area.

Gout is not only prone to occur in the big toe, but also often recurring attacks, which is mainly related to the following reasons.

1.Some patients take pain relieving drugs on their own to control the condition, and some patients do not receive standardized treatment, the therapeutic effect is not obvious, delaying the treatment of the condition, so that gout recurrence.

2.Irrational diet. Excessive intake of seafood, soy foods, fatty foods, these foods are easy to trigger high uric acid.

Experts who treat gout patients point out that the increased frequency of gout attacks can cause serious kidney damage and also cause deformity symptoms in the joints. So, how should patients prevent recurrent gout attacks in everyday life and during treatment?

1.Don’t eat too much, high calorie intake will lead to obesity, which directly leads to the increase of uric acid. Reduce the intake of purines, such as animal offal, gravy, seafood food. Alcohol can cause gout to occur, so patients must also stop drinking.

2.Drink more water. Water can speed up the body’s metabolism, dilute the concentration of uric acid, and through defecation, you can make uric acid discharged, to avoid the appearance of stones.

3.Go to a regular hospital for treatment. Inappropriate medication as well as incorrect treatment methods can make gout recur.

In conclusion, gout is more likely to occur in the big toe, but it can also occur in other parts of the body. This makes it all the more important for people to keep up with regular treatment and take more precautions in their lives to prevent gout flares.